The British have many beautiful wonders to be proud of- Stonehenge, Big Bend, the Tower of London, and then there’s Dame Judi Dench.

Rejecting the National Treasure

We know her as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love. We know her as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown and in her new film, Victoria and Abdul. We know her as M in two James Bond flicks, GoldenEye and Skyfall. We know Dame Judi Dench for her grace, her strength, and the dignified, authoritative roles she often plays. But please, do not call her a British national treasure.

“National treasure? I hate that,” complained Dench in an interview with Tim Teeman back in 2009. “Too dusty, too in a cupboard, too behind glass, too staid. I don’t want to be thought of as recognizable – I always want to do the most different thing I can think of next.”

And that’s exactly what she’s doing.

Fidgeting with Flair

At the age of 82, Dame Judi is anything but old and stuffy and her recent interviews have proved just that.

Earlier this month, while in Toronto doing press for her new film, Victoria and Abdul, she pulled out a mini fidget spinner during an interview with Andrea Mandell.

Dench’s Victoria and Abdul co-star, Ali Fazal, couldn’t wait to tell the world about the leading lady’s little bauble.

“She owns a fidget spinner. Judi Dench owns a fidget spinner! It’s the coolest damn thing,” Fazal said.

She shared another confession on television when Ellen DeGeneres got Dame Judi to admit that she thinks Johnny Depp is the sexiest actor she’s ever worked with before playing a game of “Who’d You Rather” on her popular daytime talk show.

Rapping It Up

As if being on top of the fidget spinner craze of 2017 isn’t enough, Dame Judi also decided to try her hand at rapping.

UK grime artist Lethal Bizzle gave the dame an expert rapping lesson complete with a snazzy new snapback to complete her fly new look. She was certainly not “too dusty, too in a cupboard” as she helped the rapper attempt his hits “Pow” and “Celebrate”.

The Bizzle and Dench collaboration makes it impossible not to smile. The black and white. The old and young. The hot and… the hotter?? These polar opposites are on fire in this video. The dynamic duo laugh as they make magic together and the laughter is completely contagious.

After Bizzle reads Dench the lyrics “everywhere I go, gang rollin’”, Dench has to ask him what it means and is shocked to learn that it simply means your friends are with you everywhere you go. After reading a long list of lyrics, Bizzle asks her if she can memorize them to which she answers, “Have you got a fortnight?”

Seizing the Day

And last, but certainly not least, Dame Judi appeared on The Late Show with James Corden earlier this week and showed off her first, last, and only tattoo that she got on a whim with her daughter last year. While the tiny Carpe Diem tat on her wrist is small and classy like the dame herself, she says that she’s not interested in acquiring any more ink.

Why “Carpe Diem”?

When you’re 81,” said Dench, “you have to have something that encourages you each day.

Whether playing her reprising role as Queen Victoria or rapping with London’s best, we think Dame Judi is encouraging and inspiring in every way.

Do you have any tattoos and have you considered getting any new ink? What is your favorite Judi Dench role? What do you do to stay young at heart? How would you feel about being called a “national treasure”? Join in the conversation!