Legendary British actress Dame Judi Dench, who starred in the James Bond franchise, Victoria and Abdul, Shakespeare in Love, and Murder on the Orient Express, has revealed she can no longer act.
British actress Judi Dench weighed in on trigger warnings at the theatre during an interview with Radio Times Magazine.
Dench’s comments came after Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes and Doctor Who star Matt Smith gave their opinions on the topic.
The trigger warning topic pertains to theatres informing viewers of potentially distressing material before the show begins.
Dench said that, under certain circumstances, a warning is necessary but can still affect a spectator’s experience.
“I can see why they exist, and it is preparing people, I suppose, but if you’re that sensitive, don’t go to the theatre, because you could be very shocked. Where is the surprise of seeing and understanding it in your own way,” she said.
The Oscar winning 89-year-old, who has not appeared on-screen since her appearance in the 2022 film Spirited, has said she “can’t even see”.
Dench has previously claimed her sight had gotten worse due to macular degeneration, which has resulted in her losing the ability to drive and read scripts.
The actress was asked this week by a journalist in London at the Chelsea Flower Show if she had any acting roles lined up, do which Dench said, “no, no, I can’t even see”.
Dench has previously claimed her sight had gotten worse due to macular degeneration, which has resulted in her losing the ability to drive and read scripts. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
The Daily Mirror asked her agent if she could elaborate further on her comments, but her representative declined to add any further information.
“Judi has nothing more to add than all she mentioned to the journalist,” they said.
Dench was diagnosed with advanced Macular degeneration, AMD for short, in 2012, and has been vocal in her efforts to combat her condition and the aging process vehemently, saying she does “as much as (she) can”.
Last year, Dench told The Mirror she could not read because she “can’t see much”.
“It’s difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven’t yet found a way,” she said at the time.
“But you just deal with it. I have so many friends who will teach me the script.
“It’s the most terrible shock to the system.”
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According to the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, AMD is an age-related condition which causes a chronic and painless deterioration of the macula, an area in the entre of the eye’s retina.
AMD causes progressive loss of central vision, but leaves the sufferer with their peripheral vision largely intact.
“This loss of central vision affects the ability to read, watch TV, and recognise faces. But, by itself, AMD doesn’t lead to total vision loss (black blindness),” the foundation’s website explained.
“For some people, AMD advances very slowly and may not impact vision. For others, AMD may progress faster and lead to vision loss in one or both eyes.”
One in seven Australians over the age of 50 have some form of AMD, which equates to about 1.5 million Aussies. About 17 per cent of them will experience vision impairment.
Sky News host Andrew Bolt has weighed in on reports that English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson could play James Bond in the next movie instalment.
“Good news, I think we’re now past peak woke,” Mr Bolt said.
“Common sense is becoming more common at last.
“I am a huge James Bond fan, the books and the films, and couldn’t believe that the next James Bond after Pierce Brosnan and then after him Daniel Craig should be a woman, or a black man, or even a black woman – in fact Craig’s last film as Bond did briefly have a black woman take over as 007.
“But we’re now told by The Sun that the next Bond looks like being British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.”
In 2022, Dench told Louis Theroux in a BBC interview she did not want to retire but was not doing much because “I can’t see. It’s bad”.
Dench’s most recent comments at the Chelsea Flower Show are understood to be the first time she has voiced the prospect of retirement from the screen.
Speaking at the annual event, Dench said she was busy with other projects, including a new book titled: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent.
“We’re going to Cheltenham Book Fair and then I’m going to do three shows with Gyles Brandreth,” she said.