Judi Dench’s acting career has spanned over seven decades and multiple acclaimed performances on stage, film and television. Her influence in acting has translated to other opportunities. That’s even more so with her public battle with eyesight loss, and the celebrated actress recently explained how she has continued to work while losing her eyesight.
Judi Dench has made a career of playing dignified (and not so dignified) women in her work. Many of today’s most successful actresses cite her as an influence for those roles. But in recent years, the Oscar winner has shown dignity and grace in public as she deals with losing her eyesight. The actress participated in a conversation about her battle for the London-based charity Vision Foundation, as reported by People Magazine. During the discussion, Dench revealed how she deals with reciting her lines on set:
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 great friends of mine repeat them to me over and over and over again. 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!
After talking about her unique technique for memorizing lines, Judi Dench revealed the positive aspect of losing her sight while still maintaining her acting career. It involved getting closer to her cast and crew while following COVID-19 protocol:
But it does enable you to do one thing and that is that you have to get very close to people before you can recognise who they are. During lockdown, I made a film and I was up close addressing people wearing masks during rehearsals, nothing to do with any scene I’m in. It’s kind of exquisite if you can do that and that’s the good side of it, and you have to look at that side of it.
Even as she continues to deal with eyesight loss, Judi Dench has managed to find the humor in her condition. As seen by her words, the actress has found new ways to still carry on with her craft. Dench decided not to let her condition stop her from continuing her career. Her example can serve as an inspiration for anyone dealing with similar eye conditions to hers.
But Judi Dench hasn’t let eyesight loss stop her from living her best life. The legendary actress became a viral Tik Tok sensation alongside her grandson during the summer of 2020. She admitted doing the videos helped her during quarantine in the U.K. It’s nice to see someone like Dench continue with her life despite all the obstacles against her. At the end of the day, the actress continues to be in demand (if not as a dream casting for Hollywood stars).
