Jake Gyllenhaal Claims Legal Blindness Has Been ‘Beneficial’ to His Acting Journey

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.

Jake Gyllenhaal roadhouse still
Jake Gyllenhaal said he views his legal blindness as “advantageous” in his acting career.Laura Radford/Prime Video

Jake Gyllenhaal red carpet photo
“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.Getty Images

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.

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.

Jake Gyllenhaal poses during Howard Stern interview
Gyllenhaal also told the outlet how he used his his 20/1250 vision as an asset while filming 2015’s “Southpaw.”Getty Images for SiriusXM

Jake Gyllenhaal roadhouse Amazon promo
Gyllenhaal said he removed his contacts during a difficult scene to listen more closely.Getty Images for Amazon

“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.

Jake Gyllenhaal SNL still
In 2017, Gyllenhaal said his corrective glasses made him an “easy target” for bullies as a child.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images

Jake Gyllenhaal roadhouse Amazon promo
“I was always a sensitive kid,” he recalled of the teasing.Getty Images

“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.

Related Posts

KIMMEL’S ABC COLLEAGUES ON THE VIEW JUST BROKE THEIR SILENCE — AND THEIR POWERFUL ON-AIR MESSAGE SENT A SHIVER THROUGH THE NETWORK: ‘NO ONE SILENCES US.’

The hot lights of ABC’s Upper West Side studio beat down like a spotlight interrogation, but on this crisp September morning in 2025, the real heat was…

Stephen Colbert’s Jaw-Dropping Reveal: The One Guest He’s Begged CBS to Book Before The Late Show Lights Go Dark Forever.

The Ed Sullivan Theater has seen a lot of magic in its day—Beatles screaming, Elvis swiveling, David Letterman dropping from the rafters. But nothing quite prepared us…

Teen Half-Brother Scrutinized, Dad Accused of Abuse 😢🛳️. 💔 Family Healing Trip Ends in Horror: Anna Kepner, 18, Found Under Bed

In the opulent underbelly of the Carnival Horizon — a $800 million floating fortress of fantasy, where turquoise waves lap against steel hulls and laughter echoes like…

💔 What Was Meant to Mend a Broken Family Becomes a Cruise Horror: Anna Kepner Found Concealed Under Cabin Bed — Teen Half-Brother at Center of FBI Probe 😨🛳️”

The turquoise allure of the Caribbean, a siren’s call to sun-drenched escapism, has long masked the undercurrents of human frailty aboard the world’s floating pleasure palaces. But…

JON STEWART FROZEN IN SHOCK: The Heartbreaking Moment He Discovered His 85-Year-Old Former Nanny Was Still Scrubbing Floors to Pay Rent—And the Secret Plea That Reunited Them After 50 Years.

In a revelation that has peeled back the layers of one of comedy’s most guarded hearts, Jon Stewart—the sharp-tongued satirist who’s skewered presidents and pundits with gleeful…

💥 Brooklyn Horror: Wig Stylist With 90+ Driving Offenses Rams Car Into Family Returning Home from Shabbat — K!lls Mom & Her Two Girls 😢🚗

In the hallowed hush of a Brooklyn courtroom, where the scales of justice are supposed to tip decisively toward the scales of human loss, a scene unfolded…