The 74-year-old actor told the Sunday Times Magazine that memorizing lines has become too difficult for him. “It’s a horrible thing to admit but I can’t do it. It breaks my heart. It’s when the script’s in front of me and it takes forever to learn. It’s frightening,” Gambon said.
The actor, however, does plan to continue his TV and film career, which does not require the same type of memorization.
Gambon made his Broadway debut in the 1996 production of Skylight. He will next appear in J.K. Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy" for the BBC.