‘Die After a Performance and Go Skydiving at 100’: Judi Dench Is Not Afraid of Ageing or Death

Legendary British actress Judi Dench, 91, has no intention of retiring and makes no secret of her irritation when asked about ending her career. The Oscar-winning star has revealed that she dreams of dying in her dressing room after a performance and has spoken out forcefully against being described as a “national treasure.”

When The Times asked Dench in an interview whether she enjoyed being given such an honourable title, the actress answered without hesitation. “I can’t bear it,” she said.

According to Dench, the label creates the impression that she has become an old relic, tucked away out of sight.

“It makes me sound like some dusty old thing shoved in the back of a cupboard with dinosaur fossils and a broken Roman shield,” she explained.

The only advantage of getting older that she is willing to acknowledge has to do with convenience at work. “You get a dressing room nearer the stage. That’s it. No other advantages,” the actress remarked.

Dench is also openly irritated by the constant questions about when she will finally retire and whether it is time for her to take a rest.

“And then you have to put up with people asking, ‘When are you going to retire?’ or ‘Isn’t it time you had a rest?’ No, for God’s sake, it isn’t!” she declared.

The actress admitted that she would like to banish the words “retirement,” “vintage” and “old” from the vocabulary used to describe her.

What is more, Dench has her own idea of the perfect ending to her life. She would like to die backstage after a performance, following the example of actor Newton Blick, who passed away in his dressing room after a show.

“I want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance,” she said.

Her ambitions, however, do not end there. “I want to be one of those women who jump out of aeroplanes at 100,” the actress added.

Despite serious vision problems caused by age-related macular degeneration, Dench continues to work. The condition affects the central part of the retina and can lead to significant vision loss.

The actress explained that she has to rely on the help of those around her and sometimes pretend that she can see as well as she used to. “I’m quite good at pretending I can see,” she admitted.

However, this ability can occasionally lead to awkward situations: people may think Dench is deliberately ignoring them if she fails to smile back or recognise them.

Even so, the actress still prefers theatre to film work. One of the most beloved roles of her career was playing M, the head of British intelligence agency MI6, in eight James Bond films over the course of two decades.

“I loved playing M because I could tell all these men where to go and put them in their place,” Dench said.