Legendary actress, Dame Judi Dench opened up about her challenges with working in the movie industry amid a battle with age-related sight loss.
For almost a decade, Hollywood icon, Dame Judi Dench has struggled with age-related macular degeneration, a condition that gradually causes loss of one’s sight. In a recent interview, the actress opened up about coping with her movie career while battling with the condition, saying:
“You find a way of just getting about and getting over the things that you find very difficult. I’ve had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having friends repeat them to me over and over again.”
Admittedly, learning through repetition has not been so easy, but the star could only hope it didn’t affect her overall performance as an actress. Despite the toll the loss of sight was taking on her, Judi Dench managed to find a reason to stay positive. She noted:
“But it does enable you to do one thing. And that is that you have to get very close to people before you can recognize who they are.”
Even with her self-embraced positivity, the 86-year-old admitted there was a downside to it, as she could easily walk past an acquaintance without recognizing them.
Judi Dench went public with her macular degeneration diagnosis and impending sight loss in 2012. The diagnosis put her among millions of Americans living with the condition.
Such fighting spirit has left the actress on top of her game
Yet, the actress, reputed for such movies as “Shakespeare In Love,” “Philomena,” “Victoria & Abdul,” “Skyfall,” and several “James Bond” action flicks has kept her career afloat.
She also thrived to maintain normalcy in her life by keeping up with her usual activities to the best of her capacity. Interestingly, despite finding it hard to read or recognize people these days, the star only quit driving in 2017. She recounted:
“A couple of years ago, I stopped driving, which was one of the most traumatic moments of my life. It was absolutely appalling.”
Although the macular degeneration-induced loss of eyesight came as a gradual process, she knew she would someday lose her vision completely.
However, Dench has remained reluctant to hear the doctors’ predictions, choosing instead to enjoy what she could of her sight, before reaching total blindness.
Such fighting spirit has left the actress on top of her game even at 86. Last year, Judi Dench drew public appraisal when she appeared on the front covers of British Vogue’s June edition, reputed for celebrating successful young stars.
The record-breaking feat made the legend the oldest star to feature on the magazine’s covers in its 104-year history.
Clearly, nothing could stop this legendary dame from sealing her name in the hall of excellence, not even the loss of her eyesight.