Jake Gyllenhaal says being legally blind is 'advantageous' to his acting career

• Jake Gyllenhaal was born with a lazy eye and is still considered legally blind.
• "I like to think it's advantageous," he told THR. "I've never known anything else."

Jake Gyllenhaal isn't bothered by his limited vision — rather, he says it's given him an edge as an actor.

The Oscar nominee, 43, was born with a lazy eye and began wearing corrective lenses when he was about 6 years old. Though his lazy eye resolved itself naturally over time, Gyllenhaal is still considered legally blind.

"I like to think it's advantageous," he recently 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 said he's used his blindness as a tool in his acting arsenal — to muffle his surroundings, to focus on his character's emotional state.

As an example, Gyllenhaal cited a scene in the 2015 sports drama "Southpaw," when his gritty boxer protagonist is informed of his wife's untimely death. On set, Gyllenhaal removed his contact lenses "to force himself to listen more closely," THR's Rebecca Keegan wrote.

Gyllenhaal returned to the dramatic world of athletics and fitness for his latest film, "Road House," in which he portrays an ex-UFC fighter opposite real-life UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Gyllenhaal told THR that he's been seeking roles that "freak me out a bit."

"The feeling I want to have is, can I do it? That it's going to ask of me things that I don't know about myself yet," he said.