Jake Gyllenhaal says being legally blind was ‘helpful’ for his acting career: ‘I didn’t know anything else’

Jake Gyllenhaal has spoken about being legally blind and believes it has been “helpful” for his silver screen career.

“I never knew anything else,” the Oscar nominee, 43, said. He told The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday.

“When I can’t see in the morning, before I put my glasses on, this is where I can be with myself,” he said.

Gyllenhaal was born with a lazy eye that corrected naturally early in life, and has been dependent on contact lenses since he was six years old.

Gyllenhaal’s vision is now 20/1250

the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) The US government has determined that a visual acuity of 20/400 is very low functional vision.

In his 2015 film “Southpaw,” Gyllenhaal exploited his daily experience of not being able to see clearly.

In one specific scene, a police officer tells Gyllenhaal’s character that his wife is dead.

To make his reaction more realistic, Gyllenhaal chose not to wear his contact lenses in an attempt to hear his star better.

The “Brokeback Mountain” actor spoke out about his vision problems in 2017 Telegraph He was often bullied at school because of the corrective glasses he wore.

“I was always a sensitive kid,” he said, adding that he was an “easy target” for trolls.

But it turns out these fights helped him later in life, as he credits them with preparing him to deliver on-screen fight scenes.

In Amazon’s “Road House” — director Doug Liman’s remake of the 1989 hit film starring Patrick Swayze — Gyllenhaal faced off against retired UFC fighter Conor McGregor.

“I [got to] Jake Gyllenhaal threw it over the crossbar, so that was a lot of fun. I loved it,” McGregor said he told Page Six at the film’s premiere in March.

The 35-year-old fighter also praised the actor who “took one or two hits” during filming but also “returned the favor.”

“We had a great relationship. He was very patient with me and very helpful,” McGregor added.