Hollywood star Keira Knightley has opened up about her experience living and working with dyslexia, revealing how art plays a key role in helping her memorize scripts.
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, the 40-year-old actress shared that she often draws while listening to recordings of her lines — a technique that improves her ability to retain dialogue. Knightley explained, “I draw a lot, anyway. I am dyslexic, so I find learning lines quite difficult.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean actress also disclosed that she personally created the illustrations for her newly released children’s book, I Love You Just the Same. She said that her drawings not only help with creativity but also serve as a memory aid.
“When I’m listening to my lines, I’m drawing the whole time. They have to be quite detailed; otherwise, the lines don’t go into my head,” she added with a laugh. “Normally, I end up sketching old men with wrinkles.”
Norton playfully quipped, “Hello,” prompting Knightley to respond, “I’ll do one of you,” to which the host joked, “Sounds like you’ve done it already.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, dyslexia — also known as word blindness — is a learning disorder that affects how the brain processes written language. Knightley, who was diagnosed at age six, has since become an inspiration for those managing learning challenges in creative fields.