Jake Gyllenhaal Discusses How Being Legally Blind Has Helped Him in His Career
Jake Gyllenhaal reveals that his legal blindness has its own advantages and has helped him in his acting career. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor shared that he wakes up unable to see things around him and enjoys being by himself before putting on his glasses.
The actor admitted that his blindness has assisted him in emotional scenes on screen.
What is legal blindness?
Health experts explain that legal blindness affects one’s eyesight, with the central visual acuity being 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses. This means that a person with 20/200 vision can see at 20 feet what a person with 20/20 vision sees at 200 feet.
Gyllenhaal has a vision of 20/1250, which means he can see at 1250 feet while a person with healthy eyes can see at 20 feet. He has been wearing glasses since he was almost 6 years old due to lazy eyes, which naturally cured over time.
In his new Apple TV series, Presumed Innocent, Gyllenhaal took styling cues for his character’s glasses from his godfather, Paul Newman. The actor mentioned how Newman used to tuck his glasses in his shirt or rope them in his ears.
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Jake Gyllenhaal on the advantages of his blindness
In his conversation with THR, Gyllenhaal expressed, “I like to think it’s 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 mentioned how he removed his contact lenses during an emotional scene in Southpaw to enhance the dramatic effect.
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