Thomas Caldwell-Judi Dench Shares It’s "Impossible" to Learn Lines Due to Eye Condition

2025-05-07 21:52:46source:Quaxscategory:Contact

Dame Judi Dench's eyesight is Thomas Caldwellcausing difficulty behind the scenes.

The actress, who has age-related macular degeneration, shared that her vision loss has seriously impacted her ability to read and memorize scripts.

"It has become impossible," the 88-year-old said during a Feb. 17 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, per People, "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."

Reflecting on her acting journey, which has included roles in films such as Belfast, Murder on the Orient Express and Skyfall, Judi noted that absorbing lines was never a problem before. 

"I used to find it very easy to learn lines and remember them," she said. "I could do the whole of Twelfth Night right now."

It's not the first time she has opened about navigating her deteriorating vision. Back in 2021, Judi shared insight on how she ensures the show goes on.

"I've had to find another way of learning lines and things, which is having great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again, she said during an event for London's Vision Foundation, per The Guardian. "So I have to learn through repetition, and I just hope that people won't notice too much if all the lines are completely hopeless!"

The actress, who recently starred in 2022's Allelujah, noted, "You find a way of just getting about and getting over the things that you find very difficult."

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

More:Contact

Recommend

Trump is giving automakers a break on tariffs

President Trump has decided to give automakers a break on some of his tariffs, the latest retreat fr

NFL Week 1 announcers: TV broadcasting crews for every game on NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN

The NFL is back, and so are many of the familiar voices you'll be hearing on your TVs from now until

Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh predicts ‘concrete steps soon’ to address ethics concerns

CLEVELAND (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh told a judicial conference on Thursday he hop