Just about all of us have probably had an accident or two that involved technology. Let’s be honest, even the most technically inclined among us have had our share of faux pas in that regard. One such person who’s had an experience like that is acclaimed actress Judi Dench. The titan of cinema, TV and stage stage may know how to thrill an audience with her legendary acting chops, but she recently admitted to making a major tech-related mistake. Apparently, there was an instance in which Dench didn’t know she was on FaceTime and, as a result, she ended up making a birthday call while she was in her birthday suit.
You’re probably wondering how such an error could even happen. Well, the delightfully cheeky 88-year-old actress laid out the situation when she appeared on BBC Radio’s The Zoe Bell Morning Show alongside Brendan O’Hea. The two were present to discuss their new book, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent, but the host soon asked about the tech mix-up. The Belfast actress prefaced the story by explaining that she has poor eyesight played into the snafu, as she can barely see the buttons on her phone. She then revealed that this all started with a call from her daughter, Finty Williams:
Fint rang me one morning and said, ‘It’s Chris Logan’s birthday, and he’s having a walk with Ben Wishaw and they’re in Regent’s Park. Please wish him happy birthday.’ I said, ‘Of course, I will.’
That’s a sweet gesture she decided to make for Chris Logan, who’s a mutual friend of both her and Brendan O’Hea. A hangout with actor Ben Wishaw (who is Judi Dench's 007 co-star) and a birthday message from the dame herself would theoretically add up to a delightful birthday for Logan, I’d think. However, I’m not sure he would’ve expected to get the kind of surprise he ultimately received. The Shakespeare in Love icon continued:
And then I did some things down here, and then I went up to get dressed and ready and I ran my bath. And I got into my bath, and I thought, ‘Oh, I must send Chris Logan the happy birthday. So I picked up my phone, and I pressed [it], and I just said, ‘Chris, happy…’ And I just saw these two people turn and go [gasps]. Well, it was FaceTiming them. I don’t know about FaceTime. Poor Chris. … Happy birthday [laughs]
Poor Chris Logan indeed. With any gift or birthday wish, though, it is the thought that counts, right? It was admirable of the acclaimed star to send her well wishes to Logan on his special day. If anything, it’s probably a safe bet that that’s a b-day the man will never forget. He also now has a great story he can tell at parties. I don’t know about all of you but, while I’d be shocked at first, I’d eventually be able to see the humor in being unintentionally flashed by Dame Judi.
Up to this point, Judi Dench has been open about her vision and how she’s opted to keep working while losing her eyesight. More recently, Dench has been able to keep working by learning different methods of memorizing her lines, and much of that involves much repetition. While it may not sound ideal, she has found a silver lining in that asking others for help allows her to get closer to her colleagues.
Also, don’t assume that she’s totally out of the loop when it comes to technology. She did share some TikTok videos amid COVID quarantine back in 2020, which she said “saved my life.” I’m hoping her experience with Chris Logan doesn’t dissuade the kind actress from ever using FaceTime for the purposes of wishing one a happy birthday. Also, let’s hope Logan can find humor in the birthday suit message now.
You can see Judi Dench in her most recent film, Belfast, which is now available for Max subscription holders. Fans of hers should also keep checking out the 2024 movie schedule in case she has a title that pops up on there at some point.
