Dame Judi Dench is turning 90 years old, but the milestone appears to be the last thing on her mind.
The British legend of screen and stage appeared to embrace the upcoming birthday with her signature wit, distracting herself by thinking about turning 29 instead.
“You get a bit nervous when everybody says 90. I don’t want to think of 90 much, I’m going to think about (turning) 29,” she told The Times ahead of her birthday on December 9.
She added: “I think you’re lucky to be 90; my two great, great friends, Barbara Leigh-Hunt and (Dame) Maggie Smith, have just dropped off the bough in the last four weeks or so and that’s not good.
“I’m able to at least get from A to B and walk about and, golly, I’ve got a great deal to be grateful for.”
Dench will mark her big day surrounded by her loved ones, who apparently have a surprise in store for the nonagenarian.
Considered one of the nation’s most iconic actors, Dench has been in the acting industry for an impressive seven decades and is recognised for her performances in everything from the James Bond films to a wealth of stage shows nationwide.
Aside from acting, she is also an inspiring and much-loved person around the world, known for her unique sense of humour.
As we wish this national treasure a Happy Birthday, let’s reflect on some of the wit, wisdom and regrets Dench has shared about her incredible life.
Her parrot calls her a ‘slag’
For Dench, her relationship with her beloved African grey parrot, Sweetie, appears to have gone from strength to strength. The actor was given the parrot during the Covid-19 pandemic and they now share a pretty inseparable bond.
In fact, she thinks everyone should have a parrot because their voices are “absolutely incredible”.
And while the duo likes to have a good chat, Sweetie’s foul-mouthed remarks are a particular highlight.
“We had a long chat just now. You shouldn’t ask what she says. She says: ‘You’re a slut’, ‘you’re a slag’,” Dench told the Times.
While some may wonder where she picked up that kind of vocabulary, Dench maintained that her pet likes listening to the radio.
Her first role was a snail
We all have to start somewhere and, for Dench, this included sporting a shell.
Dench initially wanted to be a set designer instead of an actor, yet she also remembered that acting had been part of her life from a very early age.
Reflecting on her first, albeit still memorable, acting role, Dench recalled that she first took to the stage back at prep school.
“I played a snail at my prep school,” she told the BBC.
She added: “I had an enormous shell I was under and, when our parents came, I stood up – that was not part of the play. I can remember this teacher at the side, she said, ‘Get down, Judith!’ – my first notes. I was not behaving properly.”
She would like to turn 100
For Dench, this upcoming birthday is just another milestone in an epic life of achievements. But she also wants to hit the century mark.
Reflecting on the recent loss of two good friends, Leigh-Hunt and Smith, Dench had a light-hearted take on her own future and the idea of getting old.
“Am I going to be 100? Well, I hope so. That would be nice. I’ll try and make 100,” she told The Times.
As for how she’ll keep herself busy for the next decade, Dench is still working on some exciting projects, and likes to fill her spare time with the Bananagram game.
Her regret is not having more children
One of Dench’s biggest regrets is not having more children. The actor and her husband, the late Michael Williams, welcomed a daughter who is now 52 years old.
Reflecting about her initial plans, however, Dench hoped for a much bigger family before work got in the way.
“Michael and I said, ‘We’re going to have six children’,” she said.
“We had one, beautiful Finty, and we didn’t have the other five, it just didn’t happen. I worked a lot. I suppose you don’t stop to consider, really.”
Of course, Finty also followed in her famous parents’ footsteps and is best known for lending her voice to Angelina Ballerina.
Her sense of humour gets her in trouble
Dench is known for her energy and laughter, but it has got her in trouble a few times.
In fact, the actor suggested that it’s often when she’s starring in a tragedy that she’ll burst out laughing whenever something slightly funny happens.
“I’ve got in terrible trouble for laughing,” she told the BBC. “I’m not excusing it in the slightest, but it is something to do with the tension you feel. You wind and wind yourself so, if something slightly [funny] happens, you unravel. Usually in tragedies.”
Perhaps that’s Dench’s reminder to us that a little laughter goes a long way in life.
