And really, that’s just a fraction of the charm in this charm-filled clip. Michael Parkinson’s interviews are always great (he did his research and showed genuine interest), but Davis is just electric. In addition to wearing her 67 years with the utmost chicness, she’s characteristically frank and bawdy—just how you want her to be. Davis always thought of herself as an actress first and a movie star second, but it’s strange to hear her talk so casually about “trying out” films early in her career. It’s stranger still to hear her belittle her undeniable beauty, with no trace of fishing. (Bette Davis did not fish for compliments.)

Speaking of her refusal to conform to the default Hollywood starlet mode, Davis quite bluntly refers to herself as a “meddler,” who had no problem arguing with the higher-ups over her career and presentation. And for anyone who thought Tinsel Town was ever a bastion of natural beauty, she bluntly declares that plastic surgery was a presence from the get-go. It’s really a lovely moment, hearing this broad talk about her early “dreadful” films with no shame, smoking cigarettes and holding her purse. The English audience even bursts into applause at her campy Cockney accent. How can you not love her?
 
Jump to the 24:29 mark to watch Davis: