Judi Dench opened up in a rare new interview about her legendary acting career and how it's been affected by her macular degeneration diagnosis, which affects her eyesight.
Speaking with The Mirror's Sunday magazine, Notebook, the English actress, 88, detailed her health struggles and set the record straight on whether it would lead to a retirement from the screen.
Thankfully, Dame Judi Dench isn't going anywhere, stating that she wanted to work "as much as I can," even though her sight was declining.
"I mean I can't see on a film set any more," she continued. "And I can't see to read. So I can't see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on.
"It's difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven't yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory."
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In 2012, the Oscar-winning actress had revealed that she was suffering from macular degeneration, which leaves one eye as "dry," leading to blurry central vision, and the other as "wet," which can cause blindspots.
© Getty ImagesDench added: "It's the most terrible shock to the system. Ghastly. It's terrible to be so dependent on people."
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In 2014, ahead of her 80th birthday, at a screening of BBC's Esio Trot, the screen legend doubled down on continuing to work well into her golden years, and wasn't interested in being told otherwise.
© Getty Images"I don't want to be told I'm too old to try something," she stated, continuing: "I want to see for myself if I can't do it rather than be told you might have a fall or you can't learn your lines. Let me have a go. Let us all have a go."
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She added: "Age is a number. It's something imposed on you… It drives me absolutely spare when people say, 'Are you going to retire? Isn't it time you put your feet up?' Or tell me [my] age.
© Getty Images"The only time I got really upset was when I was 40, for some reason. I got really upset when I was 40, and I was all right after that. It's that old thing: You are only as old as you feel. It's not to do with age; it's something to do with inside. It's the engine."
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© Getty ImagesDench is one of the most acclaimed actresses of all time and considered one of the greatest in English cinema and theater. Over the course of her six decade-long career, she has earned billions in box office revenue, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a Tony, ten BAFTAs for film and TV, and a record seven Laurence Olivier Awards.
