Judi Dench’s eyesight is so bad she can’t read her lines

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ASPartOfMe
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19 Feb 2023, 10:39 am

Judi Dench Says “It's Become Impossible” to Learn Her Lines Due to Eyesight Loss

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Judi Dench revealed that her battle with macular degeneration might put a stop to her acting career if she can't figure out another way to learn her lines.

The storied actor made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show that aired on Friday, during which she revealed that her declining vision is creating new professional obstacles. While discussing learning her lines, she confessed, “It has become impossible 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. I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them. I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now.” Dench has been struggling with age-related macular degeneration for over a decade now, first opening up about her vision struggles in 2012. But she hasn't let the disease diminish her spirit or love for acting. In fact, she's currently promoting her new film Allelujah based on a 2018 play by Alan Bennett set in a geriatric ward.


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07 Mar 2023, 12:52 pm

I wish her all the best! I have particularly enjoyed Judi playing M in the James Bond movies.

And for those who have a medium interest in medicine like I do, macular degeneration is pretty common. Always kind of weird to find out that something I’ve only sparingly heard of is actually pretty common!