Judi Dench Proves She’s the Hippest Dame Around with New Tattoo

Tattoos: everybody’s getting them, even revered British actress Judi Dench. For her 81st birthday, the Dame got the Latin phrase “carpe diem” inked on the inside of her right wrist, she told British magazine Surrey Life.

“That’s my motto: seize the day,” she told the magazine, as reported by the Telegraph. The tattoo was a gift from her daughter, Flinty Williams, who is also an actress. Williams has reportedly been “keen” on getting her mom into the ink game, and Dench has joked about different tattoo designs over the years. She even hoodwinked legendary Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein into believing she had inked “JD loves HW” on her posterior, although that turned out be a prank.

But the seasoned thespian, who’s made her mark as everyone from a steely Queen Elizabeth to James Bond’s beloved M, has only recently seized the chance to get well and truly tattooed — this time in real, permanent ink.

For all those looking for subtle tattoo placement, you might want to take a page out of Dench’s book: although she’s had the tattoo for months, she’s been able to keep the body art as something of a secret from the press, as the script is easily hidden with a few bracelets or strategic hand positioning.

Long live Dame Judi Dench, and may she continue to seize the day — and surprise us.