Judi Dench Shares Recollection Challenges Yet Holds Onto Shakespeare Lines.
The iconic performer Judi Dench has opened up about the impact of aging on her vision and memory, revealing she often struggles to remember upcoming appointments – yet can effortlessly recite long sections of the Bard's work.
"I have no memory of what I'm doing tomorrow, I swear to you," she told a magazine.
Her team verified that this kind of help are sometimes necessary. Dench added that her degenerative eye condition currently causes faces to appear "in a fog" even when up close.
A Condition That 'Crushes'
"It's a crusher," she remarked, adding that it prevents her from watching television. "I long to see Clive Myrie presenting Mastermind," she said, "but I can still hear the questions."
The actress, celebrating 91 this week, is leading a new documentary exploring her longstanding relationship with the works of Shakespeare. She will also be seen in conversation with Kenneth Branagh in a separate show set for broadcast over the Christmas holidays.
Regarding Friends and Acquittals
The star also discussed staying in contact with fellow actor Kevin Spacey, who was found not guilty of assault allegations in 2023. "Kevin has been exonerated," Dench affirmed, "and we are in contact, we text."
In recent months, Dench said she now requires full-time assistance in public for fear of tripping due to her vision problems. She first revealed age-related macular degeneration in 2012, a progressive disease that is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK.
Coping with New Realities
She has credited the condition with her de facto retirement from film work. "I can't see on a film set any more," she said in 2023, and continued: "Reading is also impossible. But you just deal with it."
"It's challenging if I have any length of a part. I haven't yet found a way. Since I have so many friends who will help me learn the script."
Dench's most recent screen credit was a brief part in the 2022 holiday film Spirited; earlier that year she had a larger role in Allelujah. The same year also brought her her eighth Academy Award nod for Belfast.
Remaining in the Public Eye
Dench still appears often at events, however, such as at fundraisers like one last month alongside Ian McKellen. In May, she was sculpted live for charity. She noted she would not be able to see the finished sculpture, but would feel it "if they let me."
