Dame Judi Dench Said That Creating TikTok Videos “Saved” Her Life in Quarantine

Dame Judi Dench may be best known for showing off her acting skills on stage and the big screen, but since the pandemic hit, Dench has moved to a smaller, and much more niche, platform. With the help of her grandson Sam Williams, Dench has made quite the impression on the TikTok community, and as Dench told Channel 4 News on June 24th, the TikTok community has perhaps made an even bigger impression on her.

“It saved my life,” Dench, now 85 years old, told Channel 4, later noting that filming these short videos made life a bit less uncertain during such a hazy time. “Every day is so uncharted...You think, ‘What do I do today?’”

“I know nothing about TikTok,” Dench continued. “Sam is the person who is technically minded and who has all the ideas, so he got very strict. He made me do it.”

Just like any other acting job within her 60-year-long career, Dench had to rehearse before the camera turned on. “I had to rehearse,” she continued. “I had to rehearse all those moves.”

“Don’t just think that comes naturally,” she joked. TBH, we did.

“I hope I’m asked to do more, but of course, I can’t ask for the part,” she said.

Dench is keeping herself busy during quarantine by learning every Shakespeare sonnet (she’s so far nailed nine of about 154), painting, talking with friends, and taking time out of her day to “rehearse my TikTok.”

You can follow along with Dench’s TikTok progress over on Sam’s TikTok page.