Judi Dench has proven herself time and time again to be a formidable force of nature on stage and screen. While many of her peers have retired to quiet lives in the country, up until recently Dench was still going toe to toe with Daniel Craig’s James Bond. At the age of 81, Dench is still as sharp as ever, and she decided to get some ink to commemorate her life’s motto.
While there was a rumor that she had Harvey Weinstein’s name tattooed on her bottom (turns out it was fake ink), Dench has in fact gotten her first tattoo only recently, with “carpe diem” now inscribed on her arm. She told Surrey Life that the ink was a meaningful gift to her from her daughter, Finty Williams, saying:
“That’s my motto: seize the day. Finty gave it to me for my 81st birthday—she’s wonderful with surprises.”
As many tattoo fans will tell you, once you get one tat, you’ll immediately start planning another, which seems to be the case with Dench. She told Good Housekeeping that she had originally considered an Indian symbol, but had her reservations.
“There’s an Indian symbol that I like which supposedly represents life and love and everything. One of the cameramen who worked on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel told me what it meant, but I’m a bit nervous in case I’m being set up. It might be unbelievably rude.”
Whether or not she actually gets that second tattoo, Judi Dench seems like a chill hang. I bet she and Maggie Smith have had some seriously rad times over the years.
(Via Vanity Fair)
