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Dame Judi Dench: 'I can't do a play, a film or read anymore'
Confirmed
In Short: Dame Judi Dench, a legendary British actress, has announced that she can no longer act due to worsening age-related macular degeneration.
Legendary British actress Dame Judi Dench has announced that she can no longer act due to worsening age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that has severely impacted her vision. Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dench said, 'I can't be on stage. I can't do a play anymore. I can't do a film anymore. I can't read anymore.'
Dench, who has had a career spanning seven decades, has been open about her struggles with AMD since her diagnosis in 2012. The condition has made it incredibly difficult for her to recognize faces and has increasingly affected her ability to work, particularly on film sets and learning scripts.
Dench's career includes iconic roles such as Queen Elizabeth I in 'Shakespeare in Love' and 'M', James Bond's boss, in several films. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1999 and became internationally recognized for her portrayal of 'M'.
Despite her condition, Dench has continued to make public appearances and speak openly about adapting to life with deteriorating vision. She noted that the radio has always been important to her and that she relies increasingly on audio. She also mentioned that she sometimes approaches strangers thinking they are acquaintances, leading to confusing encounters in public.
When asked about who should play the next James Bond, Dench simply replied, 'no.' She also reflected on her lifelong passion for William Shakespeare, which began at age nine after watching her brother perform in a school production of Macbeth. She recalled watching her brother play King Duncan in Macbeth when she was nine and said the moment sparked her passion for the playwright.
Dench's condition has worsened over the years, impacting her ability to work. In 2024, she told NPR’s 'All Things Considered' that the condition had worsened and impacted her ability to work. She also mentioned that she had given up driving in 2019, calling it 'one of the most traumatic moments' of her life.
In her new memoir, 'Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?', Dench shared candid insights on her experiences, including her role in the James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies', which she found 'more challenging' than the others she starred in as 'M'. She also addressed the ill-fated screen version of the musical 'Cats'.
Dench's announcement marks the end of a remarkable career that has seen her become one of Britain's most revered actors, with a decades-long career spanning film and theater. Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic, stating, 'I know it gets you down, but you don’t allow it to defeat you.'
What this adds
Dench's announcement highlights the impact of age-related macular degeneration on her ability to continue her acting career, emphasizing the severity of the condition.
What's confirmed
- Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "I can't be on stage. I can't do a play anymore. I can't do a film anymore. I can't read anymore."
- Dench made her debut as "M" in GoldenEye in 1995 Despite her condition, she has continued to make public appearances and speak openly about adapting to life with deteriorating vision, stating that "the radio has always been important to me".
- "There's nothing to say for it at all. [I] don't think about it too much."
- “They said this summer was absolutely sensational with bluebells; I couldn’t see one,” the Belfast actress said.
What's still developing
- Asked if she had any views on who should play the next Bond, she simply replied "no". She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for playing Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love in 1999 Dench also discussed meeting American actor Sidney Poitier, who became the first black man to win the Academy Award for best actor in 1964. She was appearing in Amy's View in New York when Poitier came backstage after a performance. She recalled that director Richard Eyre was in her dressing room, giving her notes, when there was a knock at the door. Dench said she felt as if she were in a wind tunnel when Poitier walked in, adding: "It was thrilling."
- Also read Instagram is officially burying fake AI influencers who refuse to label their posts 401(k) creator says many workers need another way to save She admitted that her failing sight occasionally leads to confusing encounters in public, explaining that she sometimes approaches strangers thinking they are acquaintances.
- She noted a particular affection for his poetry, admitting to being “besotted” by his sonnets: “It’s the rhythm of it. It’s the rhythm of your heart,” she added, the BBC reports.
- She is well known for her work in several Shakespearean plays.
- “And apart from the fact that I can walk straight past to an old friend, I can act it. And it doesn’t matter — in the great scheme of things, doesn’t matter,” she told “CBS Mornings” at the time.
- In 2012, after speculation about her eyesight, Dench announced that she was diagnosed with macular degeneration in her eyes, which can cause permanent and rapid central vision loss, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- The actor also said she sometimes approaches people and “gives them almost a hug” before apologising when she gets closer as she realises they’re not who she thought they were.
- She added that she could not see interviewer Emma Barnett’s face “at all”.