Judi Dench Says TikTok 'Saved My Life,' Feels Theaters Won't Reopen in Her Lifetime

Judi Dench
Karwai Tang/WireImage

The 85-year-old British actress has spent much of her life in the theater.

Dame Judi Dench is trying to find a silver lining amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The 85-year-old British actress, who has spent much of her life in the theater, recently spoke with Channel 4 News about filming TikTok videos with her grandson, Sam Williams, while in quarantine. 

"It saved my life. I know nothing about TikTok. Sam is the person who is technically minded and who has all the ideas, so he got very strict," she said of her 22-year-old grandchild. "He made me do it. I had to rehearse. I had to rehearse all those moves, don't just think that comes naturally." 

@sam.williams1

When Bojo let’s you film a family TikTok ##fyp ##fy ##foryou ##mother ##grandmother ##viral ##dance @finty.williams1

♬ Laxed (Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685

The Oscar winner has now appeared in numerous TikToks, many of which feature her choreographed dance moves. When pressed about what she meant by the social media app "saving" her, Dench got candid. 

"It's just that every day is so uncharted. You wake up and you wonder what day it is and then you wonder what date it is and sometimes what month," she admitted. "And then you think, 'Well what do I do today?' And if the prospect is, 'Well, what is there to do today?'" 

@sam.williams1

Not quite sure why TikTok took this down... Like Grandma, Like Grandson ##fyp ##fy ##dance ##foryou ##famousrelative ##judidench ##jamesbond ##m

♬ original sound - sam.williams1

Dench has filled her time trying to learn Shakespeare sonnets, painting, and talking with friends, and, of course, "rehearsing my TikTok."

"I hope I'm asked to do more, but of course, I can't ask for the part," she quipped. 

Another struggle for Dench is the live theater closures in the United Kingdom. 

"It is my passion, and I can't imagine Britain without its arts heritage," she said. 

Dench doesn't feel that the theaters will be able to open anytime soon. 

"It's a desperate feeling. Will they ever open again? I don't know," she said. "Certainly, I'm sure not in my lifetime. I can't see how it's going to recover... I'm not saying it should be more prioritized than anything else, but it just is going to be a very serious affect on all of us." 

Dench's former co-star, Anthony Hopkins, has also tried his hand at TikTok. Check out his attempt in the video below. 

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