Dame Judi Dench says she can’t see on set or read her lines anymore but refuses to retire
Dame Judi Dench says she has no plans to retire despite being unable to read scripts or even see on film sets due to her vision loss.
Don’t expect this Dame to back down anytime soon.
During an interview with The Mirror's Notebook magazine, the legendary actor opened up about her battle with macular degeneration, which leads to a gradual loss of eyesight.
“I mean, I can't see on a film set anymore. And I can't see to read. So I can't see much,” she told the outlet.
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"But, you know, you just deal with it. Get on.”
However, the Brit revealed that as her condition has worsened, her friends have stepped in to help her learn her lines, adding it's 'ghastly' to depend on others.
“It's difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven't yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory,” she added.
Macular degeneration is a common eye disorder that usually affects those over 50.
According to Health Direct, macular degeneration is caused by damage to the cells in the retina's central region (macula).
It leads to blurred vision and loss of vision in the middle of what you normally see.
The James Bond star previously opened up on The Graham Norton Show about her symptoms and how it affected her process while prepping for a role.
"It has become impossible [to learn lines] and because I have a photographic memory, I need to find a machine that not only teaches me my lines but also tells me where they appear on the page," the Oscar winner said.
"I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now."
She also said during a conference benefiting the Vision Foundation, a sight loss charity based in London, her friends have to repeat her lines back to her until she remembers.
"You find a way of just getting about and getting over the things that you find very difficult," Dench said, as per The Guardian.
"I've had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again.
"So I have to learn through repetition, and I just hope that people won't notice too much if all the lines are completely hopeless!"
Charisa Bossinakis