Judi Dench has spent decades entertaining audiences around the world, but there is one label the legendary actress would rather leave behind: “national treasure.”
The 91-year-old star opened up about her long career and her plans for the future in a new interview with The Times, published as she promotes her upcoming memoir. Despite her remarkable achievements, Dench made it clear that she has little patience for the idea that her age should define how people see her.
In fact, the actress revealed that she strongly dislikes being described as a national treasure.
“[I] loathe it,” she said, according to LADbible. “Makes me sound like a dusty old relic that’s been stuffed away in the back of the cupboard, along with some dinosaur fossils and a broken Roman shield.”
Judi Dench career
And even with such an extraordinary résumé behind her, Dench isn’t preparing to walk away from acting.
She said she is tired of being asked when she intends to retire, making it clear that she has no immediate plans to bring her career to an end.
“You have to contend with people asking, ‘When are you going to retire?’ or, ‘Isn’t it about time you put your feet up?’ No, it bloody well isn’t,” Dench said, adding that she would like to banish the words ‘retire’, ‘vintage’ and ‘old’ from the discussion.
Rather than slowing down simply because of her age, the actress has a very different vision for how she wants to spend her later years.
Dench even pointed to the example of actor Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room following a performance, as an illustration of the kind of life she admires.
“I want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance,” she added. “I want to be one of those women who throw themselves out of planes when they’re 100.”
Health struggles
Her determination to keep going comes despite the significant health challenges she has spoken about in recent years.
In 2023, Dench revealed that she was finding it increasingly difficult to read scripts after developing macular degeneration, a progressive eye condition that causes a decline in vision.
The condition has also affected her ability to work on film sets, presenting a considerable obstacle for an actress whose career has revolved around performing.
Speaking to The Mirror’s Notebook magazine at the time, she explained just how much her eyesight had changed.
“I can’t see on a film set anymore. And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much,” she told the publication, according to LADbible. “But, you know, you just deal with it. Get on.”
Despite those difficulties, Dench’s comments make one thing clear: she doesn’t want her age or her health struggles to become the defining story of her life.
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