Judi Dench Refuses To Watch Her Own Movies For This Reason

The 87-year-old renowned English actress and Oscar award-winner Judi Dench recently opened up about how her movies make her feel. During her six-decade-long career, Dench has won many awards, and fans are proud of her. 

She received her eighth Academy Award nomination in March for her role as “granny” in the 2021 comedy-drama “Belfast.” Fans may love her on-screen appearances, but Dench revealed that she has always hated watching her own movies. 

Dench explained this feeling in a recent interview with The Sunday Times. She also shared some of her experiences as an actress. Keep reading to find out more. 

When asked about her longtime experience as an actress, Dench noted that while it was an honor, she regretted playing some roles. “The thing about film is you do not get another go at it,” the star explained. 

She also revealed that she was so irritated by some of her on-screen appearances that she hasn’t seen some of her films to date. The “Belfast” star simply said, “There are a lot of films of mine that I have never seen, and I don’t want to because I would just be irritated.”

She also confirmed the rumors of having no plans to retire anytime soon. With her role in “Belfast,” the 87-year-old showed fans that she still has what it takes to wow them. About still being in the acting space, she joked, “I’m slowing down only in that I can’t see to read scripts.” “But I will find a way,” she continued.

While Dench has amazed fans with her performances since the 1950s, she looked back on the early days of her career in the interview. She then recalled a heart-wrenching audition she had for a role in the 1960s. During the audition, the casting director told her that she “had the wrong face” and would never make it as an actress.

Dench recalled talking back to the director and saying she wasn’t even interested. ‘“That’s fine; I don’t like film anyway. I want to go back to the theatre.”’ This was in reference to her earlier days when she used to have performances on stage instead of on-screen and behind the camera. 

Although she spent most of her time behind the camera, Dench insisted that she would’ve had a better time if she had continued on stage. She said, “You can do something that is a success, and then for the next thing, you could go arse over tit.”

She also advised fans not to take things for granted because they’d never know what they have until it’s gone. “You can’t ever take it for granted, and it’s right that we shouldn’t.”

Her love for theater came from her passion for working on characters repeatedly to improve them. She eventually started liking film, but she wished she had the chance to improve some performances on-screen like she would in the theater. 

Another thing she recalled about her time on stage was meeting the love of her life. She fell in love with John Neville, an English theatre actor, and her then “Hamlet” costar during the play’s production in 1957. 

As reported by Daily Mail, the icon spilled some tea about their relationship during an appearance at the Gielgud Theatre in London. 

She described the relationship with Neville as “beautiful.” While the fellow star passed away in 2011 at the age of 86, she recalled loving every moment of their time together. “I was in Hamlet with John Neville. He was beautiful. It was beautiful,” she said.

When asked about the crush, she admitted to easily falling for people she worked with on stage. This was true, as she also met her husband, Michael Williams, on stage. They remained together until he passed away from lung cancer in 2001.