Louis Theroux interviewed Dame Judi Dench for his new six-part BBC Two series
(Picture: BBC/Mindhouse)Louis Theroux has revealed Dame Judi Dench told him to “f*** off” when he called her a “national treasure”.
The documentarian disclosed the choice words the Oscar-winning actress, 87, had for him during their chat on his new BBC Two series, Louis Theroux Interviews.
Reflecting on their conservation, which is set to air next Tuesday, Theroux said one of the more noticeable things about Dench was her “unwillingness to accept sort of a widely acknowledged national treasure status”.
Recalling their interview, he explained: “When I say, ‘You’ve been described as a national treasure,’ she says f**k off in a friendly way.
“You get the feeling from her she is someone who never wants to rest on her laurels and actually, every time she goes out to do something of any depth, it’s a kind of a struggle because she is out to prove herself again and along with that is a degree of insecurity about whether she’s good enough which makes her so extraordinary.”
When asked how the James Bond star responded to his national treasure reference, Theroux told Metro: “Funnily enough, that’s what she said to me. She turned the tables on me.”
Theroux said that he admitted to being called one in in the past, but told Dench he does not get described as a national treasure very often.
He added: “It’s almost a superstition, and at the very least, it feels emotionally incorrect to even begin to acknowledge anything like that because you’re setting yourself up to fail. You’re sort of saying, ‘Well, I don’t have to try any more.’”
In his new six-part series, Theroux puts a series of beloved stars under the microscope. These include musician Yungblood, singer Rita Ora, comic Katherine Ryan and adventurer Bear Grylls.
During the show’s debut on Tuesday, rapper Stormzy discussed his break-up with ex-girlfriend Maya Jama. He also spoke about growing up in Croydon, being stabbed twice when he was younger, as well as his belief in God.
