He is known around the world as the man who played Professor Albus Dumbledore in the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise, but Sir Michael Gambon has reportedly had to pull out of his latest television project due to difficulty remembering his lines.
According to The Sun, “age has caught up” with the 78-year-old, as a source allegedly told the British newspaper that lines “were no longer sticking” in the star’s mind.
“Michael is an incredible actor, and was extremely popular on set,” the source is reported to have said. “But age appears to have caught up with him and he was struggling with the script.
“Lines weren’t going in and sticking as they normally would.”
The project in question was a new Sky One show called Breeders, which is also set to star Love Actually and Hobbit star Martin Freeman, who co-created the project. The 10-part series will focus on the relationship between parents and children.
These fresh reports come five years after the Path to War star openly discussed his fears over forgetting his lines or being diagnosed with dementia, as he spoke to an audience at a theatre festival in Suffolk, UK, about ending his career as a theatrical actor.
“The good news is that that’s not the case,” he said at the time, admitting he’d voluntarily been checked out by two doctors. “It’s a real worry but there’s not much I can do about it.”
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At the time he also revealed that his ageing memory meant he was only able to take on stage roles that required him to perform a limited number of lines.
The Dad’s Army actor added: “You know, the sort of part where he comes on and says a few words. A role that’s played for laughs — like when the phone goes, he doesn’t know where it is.”
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