Beloved British actress Joanna Lumley has offered a rare and candid glimpse into her personal thoughts on mortality and the process of ageing. The 79-year-old star, famed for her role in Absolutely Fabulous, made the poignant revelations during a recent interview, where she also discussed her newly released book, My Book of Treasures.
Reflections on Ageing and Mortality
Lumley confessed to being acutely "conscious of growing older" and shared wisdom from an 18th-century writer that guides her perspective. She quoted a "lovely piece" by Samuel Johnson from 1770, in which he writes as an old man hoping to get through the year with grace.
"It's that general feeling that life goes by, good or bad, and no matter how old or young we are, we're all going to die, so be ready for it," the actress explained, distilling the essay's central theme into a powerful life lesson for all.
Planning for the Inevitable
These reflections have prompted very practical conversations closer to home. Lumley disclosed that she has discussed her funeral plans with her husband, Stephen Barlow. Their views, however, differ slightly. Barlow believes a funeral has "nothing to do with you," a sentiment he reaffirmed when Joanna expressed her wish not to have a service.
According to Lumley, her husband responded that the final decision would ultimately rest with him and her son, photographer Jamie Lumley, "if they're around."
A Poetic View of the End
To conclude her thoughts on the matter, the actress shared a profoundly comforting segment from a poem by the Indian polymath Rabindranath Tagore, which features as the final piece in her book.
She recited the line: "Death is not extinguishing the light: it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come." Lumley described her reaction to the verse, simply stating, "And you think: 'Oh, that’s just amazing.'"
In other news from the interview, Lumley contrasted her experiences working on the Netflix show Wednesday, where she plays Grandmama Hester Frump. She shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote about her accent, revealing that director Tim Burton gave her only the vague direction, "just not too British," just twenty minutes before filming began.
