Skyfall Star Judi Dench To Retire From Acting? Actress Says 'I Can't Even See'

Veteran actor Judi Dench has hinted that her time in front of the camera may come to an end due to her poor vision. Dench, 89, has worked across theatre, television and movies. She has won an Oscar, a Tony, two Golden Globes and multiple BAFTA awards.

Judi Dench suffering from macular degeneration of the eyes

The actor, who hasn't appeared on the screen after the release of her musical Spirited in 2022, was asked about her upcoming projects at the Chelsea Flower Show last week, reported Deadline. “No, no. I can’t even see", she told reporters. Dench suffers from macular degeneration of the eyes, a disease that tends to blur one's vision. She was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012, and the star's sight has deteriorated a lot.

In an earlier interview with Louis Theroux, the actor had said, "I don’t want to retire. I’m not doing much at the moment because I can’t see. It’s bad. I have a photographic memory so a person saying to me, ‘This is your line…’ I can do that,” she said.

'Terrible to be dependent on people'

Judi Dench, famed for her role as M16 chief M in James Bond, had earlier said that she wanted to work “as much as” she can.

“I mean I can’t see on a film set any more,” Dench told Notebook in 2023. “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.

Dench was forced to give up driving a few years ago when her eyesight began to worsen. “It’s the most terrible shock to the system,” she had said previously. “Ghastly. It’s terrible to be so dependent on people,“ she added. 

(With inputs from news agencies)