Dad's Army's Sir Michael Gambon, 75, reveals that his forgetfulness forces him to keep his lines in his pocket

By Dan Cain For Mailonline

Published: 06:13 EST, 25 January 2016 | Updated: 07:42 EST, 25 January 2016

Acting great Sir Michael Gambon admits his memory has deteriorated so much that he now relies on keeping lines jotted on scraps of paper in his pocket.

The sad confession comes ahead of his latest film release, the remake of classic British sitcom Dad's Army, in which he plays Private Charles Godfrey.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday's Event magazine, he said: 'I can’t remember lines... I couldn’t remember the lines in…what have we just done?

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Sad confession: Acting great Sir Michael Gambon, 75, admits his memory has deteriorated so much that he now relies on keeping lines jotted on scraps of paper in his pocket

Sad confession: Acting great Sir Michael Gambon, 75, admits his memory has deteriorated so much that he now relies on keeping lines jotted on scraps of paper in his pocket

'There were never more than two lines at a time. You can have a piece of paper in your pocket look at that and keep reciting it in your head, so you don’t have to read. Anyway it was alright.' 

It's been nearly a year since Sir Michael, 75, called time on his glittering stage career due the difficulties he was experiencing remembering his lines.

In a frank interview with the Daily Telegraph, he opened up about the 'heartbreak' he felt over the decision. 

Memory loss: The admission comes ahead of Sir Michael's latest film, the remake of classic British sitcom Dad's Army, in which he plays Private Charles Godfrey

Memory loss: The admission comes ahead of Sir Michael's latest film, the remake of classic British sitcom Dad's Army, in which he plays Private Charles Godfrey

'There was a girl in the wings and I had a plug in my ear so she could read my lines. And after about an hour I thought, "This can’t work. You can’t be in theatre, free on the stage, shouting and screaming and running around, with someone reading your lines".

'You know, when you’re there in front of an audience, that you’re not as good as you could be.

'It’s a horrible thing to admit, but I can’t do it. It breaks my heart. When the script is in front of me and it takes me forever to learn, it’s frightening.'

And on one occasion, the renowned actor was hospitalised after suffering a panic attack brought on by the fear of forgetting his lines.

Causing problems: The Harry Potter actor's condition has also had a negative impact on his co-stars, with Sir Tom Courtenay, 78, revealing he was worried about injuring himself in one specific slapstick scene

Causing problems: The Harry Potter actor's condition has also had a negative impact on his co-stars, with Sir Tom Courtenay, 78, revealing he was worried about injuring himself in one specific slapstick scene

The Harry Potter actor's condition has also had a negative impact on his co-stars, with Sir Tom Courtenay, 78, revealing he was worried about injuring himself in a slapstick scene in which Sir Michael kept forgetting his words.

Sir Tom, who recently won Best Actor at the Critics' Circle Film Awards for his performance in 45 Years, said he was nearly left visually impaired while filming the scene in Yorkshire.

He revealed: 'The first time I fell there wasn’t a mattress and a bit of corn stubble nearly took my eye out.

Calling it a day: It's been nearly a year since Sir Michael, 75, called time on his glittering stage career due the difficulty he was experiencing remembering his lines

Calling it a day: It's been nearly a year since Sir Michael, 75, called time on his glittering stage career due the difficulty he was experiencing remembering his lines

'They put down a mattress but I didn’t want to keep doing it. I told him, get them to write up (the lines) somewhere. I thought I’d hurt my neck, so I was saying it out of self-interest.'

And his Harry Potter co-star Dame Maggie Smith previously revealed she was glad that Sir Michael had decided to retire from the stage.

She told the Sunday Times: 'It was about time he admitted it, because it was hair-raising doing things with him.'

Such were Sir Michael's concerns when he realised his memory was deteriorating, that the actor admitted to undergoing tests for Alzheimer's, which he was found not to have.

The Irish-born star – who began his stage career with minor Shakespearean roles alongside Laurence Olivier – confessed that it was his ‘overwhelming fear’ of forgetting his words on stage that forced him to pull out of a 2009 National Theatre production of The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett. 

Feeling the effects: On one occasion, the renowned actor was hospitalised after suffering a panic attack brought on by the fear of forgetting his lines

Feeling the effects: On one occasion, the renowned actor was hospitalised after suffering a panic attack brought on by the fear of forgetting his lines

 

 

 

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