Jake Gyllenhaal makes surprising admission about being 'blind'

Jake Gyllenhaal has spoken out about how being 'blind' has had a surprising ‘advantage’ in life, having had to wear strong glasses since he was a young child.

The actor recently his screens in new courtroom thriller series Presumed Innocent, which is based on the 1987 novel of the same name.

He plays an attorney called Rusty Sabich, who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his colleague – who also just so happens to be the woman he was having an affair with.

Back in June while doing press for the show, he spoke about how a lifelong impairment has actually ended up benefitting him.

Jake Gyllenhaal said he sees his blindness as an 'advantage' (NBC via Getty Images)

Reporter Rebecca Keegan noted how Gyllenhaal had pulled out a pair of glasses with ‘Coke bottle lenses’, which were ‘strong enough to correct his 20/1250 vision’ - a measurement signifying how well someone can see at distances of 20 feet.

For context, the lower the second number, the better, which is why 20/20 is considered perfect vision.

Gyllenhaal, 43, has had to wear intensive corrective lenses since he was around the age of 6, having been born with a lazy eye that naturally resolved itself.

He’s blind without the lenses - but he doesn’t tend to see this as a problem.

“I like to think it’s advantageous,” the star told The Hollywood Reporter.

“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.”

Gyllenhaal in 2015's Southpaw (The Weinstein Company)

In fact, over the years, he’s been able to use his condition to help him with roles.

For instance, back when he was shooting 2015 boxing film Southpaw, there was a scene where his character is told his wife has died.

In order to force himself to listen more closely to the news, Gyllenhall actually removed his contact lenses.

But while he tries to see it as a benefit to his acting craft these days, it hasn’t always been plain sailing.

In a previous interview with The Telegraph, Gyllenhaal admitted his glasses often made him an ‘easy target’ with bullies when he was younger.

“I was always a sensitive kid,” he said, adding that he’d often end up in fights in the playground as a result.

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