Judi Dench Says Her Pet Parrot Sweetie Calls Her a ‘Slut’: ‘Everyone Should Have One’

Mar. 15, 2025

Dame Judi Dench in 2024.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Dame Judi Denchdoesn’t mind name-calling — at least when it’s coming from her pet parrot.Dench — who will turn 90 on Dec. 9 — recently sat down with U.K. outletThe Timesto discuss the milestone birthday and life in general. During the conversation, the iconic film and stage actress revealed that she has an African grey parrot, named Sweetie, with a penchant for swearing.“She says: ‘You’re a slut’, ‘you’re a slag,' ” Dench told the outlet, adding, “She has said ‘Boris Johnson,’ but she didn’t get that from me.”TheCatsstar continued, “She listens to the radio. My God, she’s funny though. She’s very, very funny. Everybody should have a parrot, or a myna bird. Their voices are absolutely incredible.”Dench, who lives in Surrey, England, went on to share how she has been spending her time as of late. “I’m doing a mass of things. I’ve been doing something every single day this week,” she said.Dame Judi Dench in September 2024.Chris Jackson/Getty“I go and paint on a Tuesday evening … I’ve been given some clay and so I’m teaching myself a bit of that. What else do I do? I play Bananagrams [the word game]. I’m an absolute fiend at it. And then there’s a very good card game called Bitch that we play.”The actress — who starred in seven James Bond films — also shared that she has signed on for a new project starting early next year. But she declined to reveal the details, noting, “I’m a bit superstitious about that.”When the conversation turned to getting older, Dench said she tries to remain grateful, especially because she recently lost several close friends.“I think you’re lucky to be 90,” she reflected. “My two great, great friends, Barbara Leigh-Hunt andMaggie Smith, have just dropped off the bough in the last four weeks or so, and that’s not good. I’m able to at least get from A to B and walk about and, golly, I’ve got a great deal to be grateful for.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.English actress Leigh-Hunt died on Sept. 16 at age 88, whileDowntown AbbeystarSmith diedon Sept. 27 at age 89.As for turning 90 specifically, Dench tries to avoid thinking about it.“It’s just that you get a bit nervous when everybody says 90. I don’t want to think of 90 much, I’m going to think about [turning] 29,” she toldThe Times.Dame Judy Dench in 1960.Jones/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/GettyWhile Dench said she tries to remain positive, she also admitted that the state of the world can weigh on her.“There’s no point having a non-positive attitude,” she told the outlet. “Especially these days when there’s so much to be very, very, very concerned about."“I get so depressed when I go into London," she continued. “I give quite a lot of money to [the homeless charity] Crisis at Christmas. We should be concerned about that. There are so many people who haven’t got jobs, who are just out on the street. So many people haven’t got enough, I mean, that’s a terrible, desperate state of affairs.”Dench who hasage-related macular degeneration— a disease which causes gradual and permanent central vision loss — also noted, “It’s disconcerting when you’ve had quite good hearing all your life. If your eyes give up and your ears give up, I dread to think what’s going to happen next.”“Never mind, onward and upward,” she said.

Dame Judi Denchdoesn’t mind name-calling — at least when it’s coming from her pet parrot.

Dench — who will turn 90 on Dec. 9 — recently sat down with U.K. outletThe Timesto discuss the milestone birthday and life in general. During the conversation, the iconic film and stage actress revealed that she has an African grey parrot, named Sweetie, with a penchant for swearing.

“She says: ‘You’re a slut’, ‘you’re a slag,' ” Dench told the outlet, adding, “She has said ‘Boris Johnson,’ but she didn’t get that from me.”

TheCatsstar continued, “She listens to the radio. My God, she’s funny though. She’s very, very funny. Everybody should have a parrot, or a myna bird. Their voices are absolutely incredible.”

Dench, who lives in Surrey, England, went on to share how she has been spending her time as of late. “I’m doing a mass of things. I’ve been doing something every single day this week,” she said.

Dame Judi Dench in September 2024.Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

“I go and paint on a Tuesday evening … I’ve been given some clay and so I’m teaching myself a bit of that. What else do I do? I play Bananagrams [the word game]. I’m an absolute fiend at it. And then there’s a very good card game called Bitch that we play.”

The actress — who starred in seven James Bond films — also shared that she has signed on for a new project starting early next year. But she declined to reveal the details, noting, “I’m a bit superstitious about that.”

When the conversation turned to getting older, Dench said she tries to remain grateful, especially because she recently lost several close friends.

“I think you’re lucky to be 90,” she reflected. “My two great, great friends, Barbara Leigh-Hunt andMaggie Smith, have just dropped off the bough in the last four weeks or so, and that’s not good. I’m able to at least get from A to B and walk about and, golly, I’ve got a great deal to be grateful for.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

English actress Leigh-Hunt died on Sept. 16 at age 88, whileDowntown AbbeystarSmith diedon Sept. 27 at age 89.

As for turning 90 specifically, Dench tries to avoid thinking about it.

“It’s just that you get a bit nervous when everybody says 90. I don’t want to think of 90 much, I’m going to think about [turning] 29,” she toldThe Times.

Dame Judy Dench in 1960.Jones/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

Jones/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

While Dench said she tries to remain positive, she also admitted that the state of the world can weigh on her.

“There’s no point having a non-positive attitude,” she told the outlet. “Especially these days when there’s so much to be very, very, very concerned about.”

“I get so depressed when I go into London," she continued. “I give quite a lot of money to [the homeless charity] Crisis at Christmas. We should be concerned about that. There are so many people who haven’t got jobs, who are just out on the street. So many people haven’t got enough, I mean, that’s a terrible, desperate state of affairs.”

Dench who hasage-related macular degeneration— a disease which causes gradual and permanent central vision loss — also noted, “It’s disconcerting when you’ve had quite good hearing all your life. If your eyes give up and your ears give up, I dread to think what’s going to happen next.”

“Never mind, onward and upward,” she said.

source: people.com