A classic pairing
Universal Pictures
Knightley’s frequent collaborator Joe Wright, who directed her in “Atonement,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Anna Karenina,” also has dyslexia. In an interview with Vulture, Wright noted that he and Knightley may have bonded over their shared experience because they both must work harder than those without a reading disability. Since Wright can’t speed read, he said he must really consider the subject:
“And you find other modes of expression, and also other forms of study, be that film or visual arts. I guess I’ve gained a lot of my understanding of the world through non-literary means — even though I keep doing films based on classic novels. I think I’m drawn to them because I sometimes feel like I’m missing out, and there’s a lot of wonderful stuff in literature. I want to know that stuff.”
Both Wright and Knightley have worked hard to overcome their reading disability, but they have also proven that there are other ways of understanding and creating art even if one has difficulty consuming literature.
How Keira Knightley’s Dyslexia Started Her On The Path To Acting
Universal Pictures
By Leigh Giangreco/July 20, 2022 1:47 pm EST
”And then it was ‘OK, if you keep up your grades and improve your grades, you’re allowed to act during summer holidays, but if you drop your grades you’re not allowed to act and go up for parts…I was so single-minded about acting…I drove myself into the ground trying to get over dyslexia and when I finished school I had the top grades."
What Would Emma Thompson Do?
“And I was – am? – dyslexic, and all the way she got me over it was to say: ‘If Emma Thompson couldn’t read, she’d make f***ing sure she’d get over it, so you have to start reading, because that’s what Emma Thompson would do.’”
A classic pairing
Knightley’s frequent collaborator Joe Wright, who directed her in “Atonement,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Anna Karenina,” also has dyslexia. In an interview with Vulture, Wright noted that he and Knightley may have bonded over their shared experience because they both must work harder than those without a reading disability. Since Wright can’t speed read, he said he must really consider the subject:
“And you find other modes of expression, and also other forms of study, be that film or visual arts. I guess I’ve gained a lot of my understanding of the world through non-literary means — even though I keep doing films based on classic novels. I think I’m drawn to them because I sometimes feel like I’m missing out, and there’s a lot of wonderful stuff in literature. I want to know that stuff.”
Both Wright and Knightley have worked hard to overcome their reading disability, but they have also proven that there are other ways of understanding and creating art even if one has difficulty consuming literature.
Both Wright and Knightley have worked hard to overcome their reading disability, but they have also proven that there are other ways of understanding and creating art even if one has difficulty consuming literature.
“And you find other modes of expression, and also other forms of study, be that film or visual arts. I guess I’ve gained a lot of my understanding of the world through non-literary means — even though I keep doing films based on classic novels. I think I’m drawn to them because I sometimes feel like I’m missing out, and there’s a lot of wonderful stuff in literature. I want to know that stuff.”
