Joan Collins on Her Famous Dynasty Fights with Linda Evans: ‘I Thought They Were Stupid’ (Exclusive)

Joan Collins is not her late-night soap character from the 80s Dynasty.

She has many other things, of course. Actress and author. Mother of three children and sister. Woman. Icon. And, in the upcoming biopic: Wallis Simpson, the controversial wife of former King Edward VIII.

And yet, right now, speaking to PEOPLE for this week’s issue from the London home she shares with her husband, actor Percy Gibson, Collins, 90, is really giving her full Alexis Carrington Colby vibe, delivering witticisms in the vein of her character on the ABC series. showed from 1981 to 1989.

Case in point: when asked if she was a fan of Madonna — both of whom dated Warren Beatty — she deadpanned in her sharp English accent, “I’m not cooling fan from anyone,” and let out a quick, if haughty, laugh.

It’s hard to tell if Collins is joking, but that’s part of the fun. And, as she has just published her memoirs Behind the shoulder: Stories I tell my friendswhich she also adapted into a cabaret performance in England, she is ready to have some fun.

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The actress worked professionally from childhood, but made her breakthrough as a juvenile delinquent in the 1952 British prison drama. I believe in you.

She was soon “sold” – her term – to 20th Century Fox in Hollywood, where she played mostly forgotten roles while remaining memorable for her beauty. (She was voted “the most beautiful girl in England” in 1958, but says that studio executives told her early on that she was “fat and ugly.”) Then came Dynasty.

“When I first heard about the show, I was like, ‘What is that? A Chinese restaurant?'” she recalls to PEOPLE. “But I was a fan DallasI knew Larry Hagman because he lived in London while Mary Martin, his mother, was working south pacific ii was a choir singer. We saw each other at various parties. And when I looked at him inside DallasI thought, ‘I’d love to have a role like JR Ewing.'”

Heather Locklear, Pamela Bellwood, Linda Evans, John Forsythe, Joan Collins and Pamela Sue Martin in ‘Dynasty’.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty

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“And, of course, God heard me and gave me Alexis,” she continues. “And honestly, I absolutely loved playing her. I adored her. In fact, if you gave me the scripts Dynasty and said: ‘What do you want to play here? Do you want to play Fallon? Or do you want to play Krystle? Do you want to play Alexis?’ I would say, ‘No question. I want to play Alexis.'”

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Fans immediately adored Alexis. One-liners, fashion and fights. There was a lot going on between Collins’ Alexis and Krystle Carrington, played by Linda Evans — not that Collins enjoyed filming them.

“First of all, I hated doing fights. I thought they were stupid. I said [the showrunners]’Alexis uses her tongue, not her fists, to get over people,'” shares Collins. “Because Alexis was very funny in a lot of ways.”

Joan Collins in ‘Dynasty’ in 1987.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment

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When reminded that Alexis always seemed to lose physical fights, Collins says, “Of course, Linda was taller than me. I didn’t care if I lost the fight, so no, it didn’t bother me at all.”

“Actually, I’ve never even thought about it,” she says, letting out a laugh.

For more on Joan Collins, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.

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