The key facts
- Dench, who is 91, said: 'I can't be on stage, I can't act in a play, I can't appear in films, I can't read'
- The AMD diagnosis was made in 2012; the actress also struggles to recognise faces
- She recalled a lunch at the home of former MI6 chief David Spedding and a meeting with Sidney Poitier in New York
Actress speaks about the consequences of vision loss
Oscar-winning Dame Judi Dench told Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4 (the Today programme) that her eye condition has made working on stage and in film impossible. 'I can't be on stage. I can't act in a play any more. I can't appear in films any more. I can't read any more,' she said. Dench, who is 91, was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012. According to her, because of the condition she even finds it difficult to recognise faces: sometimes she mistakenly approaches strangers and 'almost hugs' them before realising her mistake.
On age and career
Asked about old age, Dench replied: 'There's nothing to say about it at all. I don't think about it too much.' Her career has spanned more than seven decades in theatre, television and film. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1999) and became world-famous for her role as 'M', James Bond's boss, making her debut in GoldenEye (1995) as the first woman in that role. Vision loss increasingly interfered with her work: the actress had previously spoken about difficulties on film sets and when learning lines. Despite the illness, she continues to appear in public and has noted that 'radio has always been important' to her. Asked who should play the next Bond, she answered simply: 'no'.
Lunch with the head of MI6 and meeting Poitier
Dench recalled how former MI6 chief Sir David Spedding invited her to lunch — she said it was 'very exciting'. When she asked where the driver should drop her off, she was told: 'No, no, we'll send a car for you.' The driver could not find her house, and she was about 20 minutes late: 'I said: sorry I'm so late, because your driver couldn't find my house. I loved it.' She also spoke about meeting Sidney Poitier, the first Black winner of the Oscar for Best Actor (1964). During the play Amy's View in New York, Poitier came backstage while director Richard Eyre was giving her notes in her dressing room. Dench said she felt 'like in a wind tunnel' and called the meeting 'thrilling'. Asked what she said to him, she replied: 'Not much, open mouth. So charming. Very tall.'
Love of Shakespeare
Dench said her passion for Shakespeare began at the age of nine, when she watched her brother play King Duncan in Macbeth: 'He came out and said: “What bloody man is that?” I thought: oh my God, this is for me. He said “bloody” — did you hear that?' She also admitted she is 'fascinated' by Shakespeare's sonnets: 'It's the rhythm. It's the rhythm of your heart,' she added, noting how simply the poet managed to express any person's feelings.
Image source, Eon / Kobal via Shutterstock Dench made her debut as
Image source, Miramax/Laurie Sparham She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for playing Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love in 1999
