Judi Dench Opened Up About A Personal Obstacle That’s Completely Changing Her Life

When you think of Judi Dench, you may envision her breakout role as M in the James Bond flick GoldenEye. Since then, she has had a string of hit movies and critically acclaimed roles – this octogenarian knows nothing about retirement! But in 2021 Dench made a startling revelation about the incurable condition she has. And it makes her hard work all the more impressive.

Backstage dreams

Dench’s career did not actually start off with Hollywood stardom in mind – she didn’t even envision herself on the stage! In a 2020 chat with actor David Tennant on his eponymous podcast, the seasoned actress said that she “trained as a theater designer” before deciding on her career in the spotlight.

Landing a part

Even then, Dench said, her dreams revolved around acting on stage – not on screen. She said, “I only ever wanted to do Shakespeare and be in the theater... There’s no substitute for theater.” And soon after graduating from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Dench made her visions into a reality by landing a huge part right off the bat.

Panned

Dench nabbed the part of Ophelia in the Old Vic Company’s rendition of Hamlet – a huge get for an ingenue like her. Ophelia was and is one of the most iconic female characters in Shakespeare’s cannon. Dench said that she “got off to a cracking start,” but the press didn’t quite agree. They apparently chided the National Theatre for casting “somebody who is just out of drama school.”

A new look

As a then-22-year-old fledgling actress, Dench understandably took the reviews to heart. So, she cut off her long locks into the short hairstyle we still know today. And Dench also kept acting – albeit in smaller on-stage roles. Those in the star’s circle could see her potential, so she started to believe in it, too.