Jake Gyllenhaal reveals he’s legally blind, says it helps when acting
Jake Gyllenhaal has made the belated health revelation in a new interview, saying not being able to see has actually helped his acting.
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Jake Gyllenhaal has a unique advantage.
The Nightcrawler actor opened up about how being legally blind has helped him in his acting career, saying he prefers to look at the disability as “advantageous.”
“I’ve never known anything else. When I can’t see in the morning, before I put on my glasses, it’s a place where I can be with myself,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Wednesday.
The Oscar nominee, 43, relied on that practice during one of his pivotal scenes from 2015’s Southpaw.
When police tell his character that his wife died, Gyllenhaal performed the scene without his contacts to listen better.
Gyllenhaal has been wearing corrective lenses since he was a child. After being born with a lazy eye which eventually resolved, he is still legally blind.
This isn’t the first time the Spider-Man: Far From Home star has discussed his 20/1250 vision.
In a 2017 interview with the Telegraph, he recalled being an “easy target” for bullies as a kid because of his corrective glasses.
“I was always a sensitive kid,” he said of the teasing, which led to some childhood squabbles.
But those same scuffles seem to have helped him deliver in his onscreen fight scenes.
In Amazon’s rebooted take on the Patrick Swayze classic Road House, Gyllenhaal went up against retired UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
“I [got to] throw Jake Gyllenhaal over the bar, so that was pretty fun. I loved it,” McGregor told Page Six at the movie’s premiere in March.
The fighter, 35, also commended the actor who “took one or two wallops” while filming but “gave back as well.”
“We had a great rapport. He was very patient with me, very helpful,” the Irish athlete added.
This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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