\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat To Know<\/p>\n
Judi Dench revealed her deteriorating eyesight due to age-related macular degeneration has left her unable to read scripts or recognize people.
\nThe 90-year-old actress, known for her acclaimed career in film and theater, has not appeared in a major scripted project since 2022.
\nDench and fellow actor Ian McKellen are currently campaigning to bring new life to the teaching of William Shakespeare in U.K. schools.<\/p>\n
Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench<\/a> has revealed the reason for her lack of on-screen roles in recent years, noting her deteriorating eyesight has left her unable to read scripts or recognize people.<\/p>\n In a joint interview with fellow actor and friend Ian McKellen<\/a>, Dench told an ITV News reporter, \u201cNo, you don\u2019t [see me on camera], because I can\u2019t see anymore,\u201d per Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n After McKellen, 86, quipped that they could see her, the Belfast<\/a> star responded, \u201cYes, and I can see your outline, and I know you so well, in your Macbeth scarf. But I can\u2019t recognize anybody now\u2026 I can\u2019t see the television. I can\u2019t see to read.\u201d<\/p>\n When the X-Men<\/a> actor asked if the Notes on a Scandal<\/a> star ever approached \u201ctotal strangers\u201d and said,\u201d\u2018Lovely to see you again,’\u201d Dench laughed and answered, \u201cSometimes!\u201d<\/p>\n Dench, who turns 91 on December 9, has had a long and renowned career on stage and screen, winning an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, six BAFTAs, and seven Olivier Awards. She is known for her star turns in Shakespeare in Love<\/a>, Philomena<\/a>, and playing M in the Daniel Craig<\/a> era of James Bond.<\/p>\n However, her on-screen roles have wound down in recent years. Her last credit came in 2022, in a cameo in the Apple TV+ Christmas musical comedy Spirited<\/a>, starring Will Ferrell<\/a> and Ryan Reynolds<\/a>. Other than a recent holiday-themed commercial in the U.K., Dench has not appeared in any other scripted TV or film.<\/p>\n She previously hinted<\/a> at retirement last May while attending London\u2019s Chelsea Flower Show. When a reporter asked if she had any movies in the pipeline, Dench answered, \u201cNo, no. I can\u2019t even see!\u201d<\/p>\n Dench opened up about her age-related macular degeneration<\/a> in a 2023 interview with The Daily Mirror<\/a>\u2019s Notebook. \u201cI mean, I can\u2019t see on a film set anymore,\u201d she shared. \u201cAnd I can\u2019t see to read. So I can\u2019t see much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult for me if I have any length of a part,\u201d she added. \u201cI haven\u2019t yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory.\u201d<\/p>\n Dench and McKellen are currently campaigning to revitalize the William Shakespeare curriculum taught in U.K. schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What To Know Judi Dench revealed her deteriorating eyesight due to age-related macular degeneration has left her unable…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-161600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}