Judi Dench: ‘I’d rather be younger and not know so much’

DENCH. Sprightly, humorous and youthful in spirit. RUBEN V. NEPALES

(First of two parts)

LOS ANGELES—“I’d rather be younger and not know so much,” Dame Judi Dench declared in her commanding voice in a meeting room at the Claridge’s Hotel in London. The great actress doesn’t mince words—none of that stuff about having wisdom as one ages. Judi would rather be young again. “Age has nothing much going for it. There aren’t many advantages in getting older.”

Judi looked frail and seemed in pain the last time we interviewed her for her film, “Philomena,” in 2013. But, on this recent dreary afternoon in London, Judi, who turned 80 last December, was a bright presence. She was sprightly again, humorous and youthful in spirit.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten any more sensible or grown up,” continued the Oscar and Golden Globe winner. “I found a card the other day that said, ‘Don’t grow up. It’s against the rules.’ I thought, how wonderful! I don’t know more about things now.”

Added the silver-haired thespian who debuted with the Old Vic Company in 1957, “I don’t think I’m any wiser than when I was at the Old Vic. Not much. I know a bit more about things. I know more about filming now, which I never thought I was going to ever know.

“But, you can get caught up in exactly the same emotions and be quite surprised at yourself that you’re feeling rather similar feelings. I don’t think we’ve gotten any better at it, really. We think we have, but I don’t think so. Perhaps some people do mature.”

She stressed that there was “not much positive” in getting older. “You have to make the positives. You have to think, oh well, today I can at least walk across the room.”

Great maxim

She shared, “A wonderful friend of ours who was a German judge came over here. Michael (Williams, her actor husband who died in 2001) and I got to know him very early on in our marriage. He said, ‘Look for the pluses.’ I have that embroidered on a thing, because it’s a great maxim to have. It’s much better than thinking, Oh my God, my back. At least, I can get up.”

On how she celebrated her big milestone last Dec. 9, Judi beamed as she answered, “I had the best birthday I’ve ever had. My daughter and agent arranged it. I didn’t know anything about it. I went to London, then we went to the Ivy Club. We went upstairs, and there were 37 of my friends around a table for lunch. After the main course, we went downstairs to have some cake where there were about 40 others.

“It was the most fantastically wonderful day. Then, two days later, we went to the pub in our village, where there were people who I work with every day. After that, I was taken to Cornwall for three days, so I was completely spoiled.”

“I think that’s what the whole film is about,” Judi pointed out about director John Madden’s “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” the sequel to the hit, which brings back the actress, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and Dev Patel. The movie, set in India again, elaborates on the theme that age doesn’t matter; what counts is your outlook and attitude. Richard Gere, David Strathairn and Tamsin Greig check in as the new cast members.

“I don’t think it matters about your age at all,” Judi remarked. “It only matters about your determination not to give up or not to stop learning new things, which I absolutely applaud. I don’t want to be told I can’t do something. I just have to go at it. I may make a terrible mess of it, but I’d sooner make a mess than not have a go at all.

“That is probably why the first film was a success. There have been many movies about the breakdown of someone. The film was about a lot of people of a certain age who wanted to defy age and get on with doing something and decide not to sit back, be retired and not just accept life as it came. But, to actually do something about it and be challenged about it—that’s my maxim! It has always been.”

(To be concluded Sunday)

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