Dame Judi Dench is still feisty in her old age and says she'd love to die in a theater dressing room after a performance.

When asked whether she liked being called a  national treasure,  the legendary actress snapped back.

 Loathe it,  Dench, 91, exclaimed in an interview with The Times.  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. 

8 Judi Dench, seen here in 2012, has no plans to retire.  Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection

8 The actress, 91, photographed in 2024, abhors being called  a national treasure.  Getty Images for BFI

The Oscar winner could only think of one benefit that comes with aging.

 They give you a dressing room nearer the stage. Otherwise, forget it,  she noted.  And 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 added she'd like to  banish  words like  retire,   vintage  and  old. 

8 Dench, seen here in 2017, revealed in an interview that she'd like to die backstage after a performance. Getty Images

8 The Oscar winner, photographed in 2025, has a degenerative eye condition. PA Images via Getty Images

 I want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance,  the  Shakespeare in Love  actress shared.  I want to be one of those women who throw themselves out of planes when they're 100. 

Dench has continued working despite having the same eye condition as her mother, macular degeneration, which causes vision loss.

The  Belfast  star explained that she copes by  relying on other people  and often pretending that she can see properly.

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8 Dench, photographed in 2023, often pretends that she can see properly. Getty Images

8 The accomplished
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