Dame Judi Dench: It has become impossible to read my scripts
The veteran actress has lived with worsening macular degeneration for many years.
Dame Judi Dench has said she now finds it “impossible” to read scripts because of her deteriorating eyesight.
The Oscar-winning actress, 88, said she has a “photographic memory” and wants to find a machine that is able to teach her her lines as well as locate them on the page.
Dame Judi previously revealed she has macular degeneration, which causes the gradual loss of vision.
Appearing on the Graham Norton Show, she said: “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.”
Dame Judi has spoken about her deteriorating eyesight on a number of occasions.
In December 2017 she admitted she struggled to enjoy watching films because of it.
At an event in February 2021 for the Vision Foundation sight loss charity she said she had found alternative ways of learning lines, such as having friends repeat them to her.
Age-related macular degeneration affects the middle part of a person’s vision and is common among those in their 50s and 60s.
It does not cause total blindness but can make everyday activities such as reading and recognising faces difficult.
Speaking about her film Allelujah, an adaptation of Alan Bennett’s 2018 play of the same name, Dame Judi praised it as “a big cheer for the NHS”.
The film follows the lives of those working and living in a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital that is threatened with closure.
She added: “We have to be reminded of that, I think. It has come out at a very good time. The cast is wonderful, and it was heaven to do.”
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday at 10.40pm.
