Iconic English actress Dame Judi Dench does not like being called a national treasure.

On David Tennant's podcast, Dench opened up on her journey as an actress and why she loathes the term "national treasure", reports dailymail.co.uk.

"I loathe those words, I loathe them. It's something very, very dusty behind a glass and in a corner. It's a relic and I don't want to be a relic," she said.

Dench also shared that she likes to play evil villains roles on screen.

"I hate to play parts that are expected. If a part comes through and it's some old person dying in a chair somewhere, I think 'oh no no, please not that'."

"I want to play somebody who you think is a benign old lady sitting in a chair but in actual fact she's bumping people off. I'm looking for a lot of villains to play. I haven't played enough," she added.

Dench has featured in over 100 films, including seven Bonds movies as James Bond's superior, M.