Dame Joan Collins, 90, reveals VERY unlikely inspiration for her iconic Dynasty character – as she flirts with Louis Theroux in new documentary

Dame Joan Collins has revealed the highly unlikely inspiration for her iconic Dynasty character Alexis Carrington Colby.

The 90-year-old actress, who played the role in the American soap for eight years until 1989, made the revelation on Tuesday during a ‘flirty’ interview with 53-year-old Louis Theroux.

Speaking about the show, which told the story of a fictional American dynasty, Joan revealed that one of the biggest fans at the time was none other than former president Donald Trump, now 77, who influenced her role.

“I said when I was asked about my character Alexis, who I was thinking about during preparation, I said ‘well, a mix of Donald Trump’, who wasn’t president at the time, he was just a businessman,”

“And a friend of mine, a very glamorous woman from the city who was very smart, so I wanted to have a mix of them,”

Louis then asked what specific qualities of Trump she incorporated into the character, with the actress pointing out his “ruthlessness.”

But Dame Joan refused to be drawn into a discussion about politics, saying: ‘I try not to get involved in politics. I’m an actress, so I don’t think we should express our political opinions.”

Just to joke, “Let’s just say if you played him in a movie, people would say, ‘No, that’s too exaggerated.'”

Earlier in the episode, fans quickly spotted the star ‘flirting’ with host Louis as she offered him a tour of her lavish home in the south of France.

During a chat about weight, the broadcaster encouraged Joan to feel his stomach as she purred: ‘Is that a six-pack?’.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone wrote: “I just watched the first part of the Louis Theroux interview with the divine Joan Collins. At ninety, she can still flirt like a seventeen-year-old and still has a timeless charisma. A role model for anyone concerned about achieving their first youth.”

While a second wrote: ‘Louis Theroux’s gentle flirting with the sublime Dame Joan Collins was beautiful to watch. What a wonderful, joyful interview’.

And others were quick to praise her ageless beauty, saying: ‘Joan Collins is 90?! Wow’.

While someone else typed: ‘Dear Lord, please make me look even a little bit as good as Joan Collins at 90’.

A third wrote: ‘How on earth is Joan Collins 90?!’.

While someone else commented: ‘Loved the last Theroux interview with Joan Collins. Quality television. I can’t believe she’s 90. Still brutal.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Joan candidly discussed her own experiences as a young actress in Hollywood.

Despite being best known for ’80s soap operas, she also appeared in films in the ’50s and ’60s alongside Hollywood superstars Jayne Mansfield and Paul Newman.

And revealed she was told to ‘not be glamorous to get parts’.

Louis asked her, “Don’t you feel appreciated at all?”

Joan responded, “I’m not saying I’m not appreciated. I think I’ve become more, but there’s kind of a grudging, ‘Yes, she’s great, but she can’t act, she can just play these roles,’ and early reviews only talked about what I looked like.

“The way I swayed my hips or the way I gave googly eyes to the lead, they were always half-hateful.”

Louise asked, “Do you care?”

Joan replied bluntly, “No. You bring it up, I don’t care.’

She then added, “I think I still really identify with Alexis and all the movies I’ve done and all the times I’ve played a bad guy.”

Louis Theroux Interviews… now streaming on iPlayer.