Actors You Didn't Know Have Disabilities

Around 16% of the entire population experience a significant disability, which constitutes to 1 in every 6 people, according to WHO. In this 16%, many celebrated actors continue to resonate with the audience and create an enduring legacy.

Let’s look at the actors who haven’t shied away from telling their story and haven’t let any disability come in the way of ruling the entertainment world.

Millie Bobby Brown, the ‘Stranger Things’ actress, was born with partial loss of hearing, which has transformed complete deafness into an ear. As the hearing has faded away, the ‘Electric State’ actress cannot fully hear herself perform.

“You don’t have to be good at singing. You don’t have to be good at dancing or acting. If you like to do it, if you genuinely enjoy doing it, then do it. No one should stop you,” she shared in an interview with Variety.

Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘The Wolf of the Wall Street’ actor - and a heartthrob of many, has battled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) throughout the years. “My thing was not stepping on cracks or not stepping on certain things. Sometimes, it took me 10 minutes to get to the set because I’d be pacing back and forth, stepping on gum stains,” according to The Mirror.

OCD begins with intrusive and anxious thoughts that translate to the compulsion to act on it, forming an unpleasant cycle. DiCaprio’s OCD has delayed film shoots, and he has had the urge to walk through doorways multiple times.

Johnny Depp, the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ actor, was born with vision issues, where he is “blind as a bat” in the left eye and short-sighted in the right. The actor revealed that he can only see a few inches in front of him if he doesn’t wear his prescripted tinted glasses.

“Everything is just very, very blurry. I've never had proper vision,” Depp voiced during an interview with Rolling Stone.

Selena Gomez, the ‘Only Murders in the Builiding’ actress, was diagnosed with Lupus in 2013. The ‘Rare’ singer has shared her experience on social media about the symptoms, mental health, and the kidney transplant. “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy,” she revealed in an interview with Billboard. “I could’ve had a stroke,” she added. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks the healthy tissues and organs in the body, causing swelling and inflammation. Additionally, due to the autoimmune disease, Gomez had a kidney transplant and received treatment for increased panic attacks and depression. “I’ve had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I’ve been very vocal about it, but it’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome,” Selena expressed in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

Billie Eilish, the ‘Happier Than Ever’ pop icon, has been open about her Tourette’s Syndrome, the neurological disorder that causes involuntary repetitive movements or sounds called tics. Diagnosed at the age of 11, Eilish revealed that she has had challenging days where many people around her confused her disability with a subtle humour, causing laughter at her involuntary actions, according to Netflix’s ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.’

Tom Holland, the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ actor, was diagnosed with Dyslexia at the young age of 7. Dyslexia refers to neurobiological learning disability that affects recognition and decoding abilities.

Tom Holland faced learning difficulties during his school, and to develop a strong work ethic. “It’s just about taking your time and giving yourself an appropriate amount of time to do the things you need to do,” he revealed in an interview with YouTuber Jazlyn Guerra. “The better prepared you are, the more you’ll be able to accomplish things that are fantastic,” the actor added.

Adam Levine, the frontman of Maroon 5, opened up about his ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), where he struggled with ‘being normal’ even as a kid. Sitting still for a long time, completing work, and focusing felt different. While his parents helped him achieve stability through treatments, the problems persisted through adulthood.

“I had trouble sometimes writing songs and recording in the studio. I couldn’t always focus and complete everything I had to. I remember being in the studio once and having 30 ideas in my head, but I couldn’t document any of them,” Levine revealed in the Additude magazine.

Daniel Radcliffe, the ‘Harry Potter’ series actor, was diagnosed with a mild condition of Dyspraxia, the neurological disorder that affects movement, coordination, and motor skills. “I was having a hard time at school in terms of being crap at everything, with no discernible talent,” he revealed in an interview with UK’s Daily Mail.

Daniel chose to become an actor partly because he wasn’t successful at school with his inability to tie shoe laces and bad handwriting.

Sylvester Stallone, the 'Rocky’ actor, has paralysis on the left side of his face due to a complication during his birth. In the forceps accident, Stallone’s facial nerve was cut, and his lip, chin, and half of his tongue were effectively paralysed, affecting his speech as well, according to El Pais.