Judi Dench nervous about acting

Judi Dench has “worse nerves” now than when she started acting 54 years ago.

The 76-year-old actress who has starred in Notes on Scandal,Shakespeare in Love and a number of James Bond films, including Casino Royale and Tomorrow Never Dies admits she “never” has confidence in her ability and always has to rely on a director.

“I have worse nerves now, 54 years after entering this business, than when I started. I’m never confident about the work I do and I’m very, very reliant on a director,” she said.

“Everything I do, there’s always something that jumps up and hits me in the eye.”

Despite her nerves, the My Week With Marilyn actress who admits to being a “great prankster” on the set of her movies doesn’t ever want to quit acting because she thinks the learning process is far too important to leave behind.

“If I retire I think I should fall over,” she said. “You’ve got to keep learning. I think everybody should take the time to recite two lines of something every day. I’ve also just taken up Sudoku – bloody difficult, isn’t it?”