Judi Dench has reflected on how her willingness to explore different roles, rather than chase ever-bigger parts, has shaped her career. She has previously spoken candidly about disliking certain projects, such as her role as Portia in The Merchant of Venice, but her enthusiasm for director John Madden after working with him on 1997's Mrs Brown led her to offer herself for any part, however small, in his next film.

That next project turned out to be Shakespeare in Love (1998), in which Dench played the minor but memorable role of Queen Elizabeth I. She confirmed to the LA Times that she had indeed told Madden she would take on "a non-speaking role" simply because she believed in him as a filmmaker, reflecting her broader philosophy that actors should "elasticate" themselves rather than only pursue larger, more prestigious parts.