Dame Judi Dench says she ‘LOATHES’ being called a national treasure as it makes her feel like ‘a relic’
Dame Judi Dench has revealed she hates being called a ‘national treasure’.
The actress, 85, detailed her thoughts on being referred to by the term and how much she ‘loathes’ it during an appearance on David Tennant’s podcast ‘David Tennant does a podcast with…’ on Tuesday.
The phrase is widely used to describe the award-winning British actress thanks to her remarkable 60 year career, which has seen her star in the James Bond franchise, Shakespeare In Love and countless theatre plays.
Candid: Dame Judi Dench admitted that she ‘LOATHES’ being called a national treasure as it makes her feel like ‘a relic’ while appearing on David Tennant’s podcast on Tuesday
But Dame Judi admitted it makes her feel like a ‘relic’, as she explained: ‘I loathe those words, I loathe them.
‘It’s something very, very dusty behind a glass and in a corner. It’s a relic and I don’t want to be a relic.’
She also went on to say she hates ‘playing parts that are expected’ like ‘some old person dying in a chair’ and instead prefers exciting roles like evil villains.
Thoughts: The phrase is widely used to describe the award-winning actress (pictured as M in Skyfall) thanks to her remarkable 60 year career, but she said: ‘I don’t want to be a relic’
She explained: ‘I hate to play parts that are expected. If a part comes through and it’s some old person dying in a chair somewhere, I think “oh no no, please not that”.
‘I want to play somebody who you think is a benign old lady sitting in a chair but in actual fact she’s bumping people off. I’m looking for a lot of villains to play. I haven’t played enough.’
Dame Judi also spoke about her late husband, fellow actor Michael Williams, who passed away in 2001.
As she spoke about her current relationship with conservationist David Mills, Dame Judi said she won’t ever get over her husband.
She said: ‘He [David] laughs about the same things but I suspect I shan’t ever get over Mikey.
‘[Grief] changes who you are altogether. It’s like you’re walking along and there’s this enormous chasm in front of you.
‘I don’t expect you ever get used to it. Sometimes the door in this house just opens and I think he’s just wandered in.’
Future plans: She also went on to say she hates ‘playing parts that are expected’ like ‘some old person dying in a chair’ and instead prefers exciting roles like evil villains (pictured in 2018)