MovieChat Forums > Sneakers (1992) Discussion > Who taught David Strathearn to be blind?

Who taught David Strathearn to be blind?

posted 10 years ago by pearlgearl-772-761306
7 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone know what training David Strathearn had? They did a doggoned good job although kept it simple.

[–] fkelleghan 10 years ago

It's an excellent question.

I'm guessing that he watched Patty Duke playing Helen Keller. Is that plausible?

Fiona

Science first! And information: also first!

[–] pearlgearl-772-761306 10 years ago

I would say that's plausible. At some time, someone had to sit down with someone who actually is blind to get a feel for what blind people can do, and how they go about doing it. There's a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about what the blind are capable of.

[–] HOKfilms 9 years ago

Al Pacino said the trick is to never let your eyes focus on anything.

If I were playing a blind guy, Id have them give me contacts I couldnt see through.

Unless youre responding to me, dont hit reply to my post

I <3 Emily Blunt

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Im not responding to you :p

[–] janoss (214) 3 years ago

As I recall, Pacino said that, after making Scent of a Woman, he would bump into things because he'd gotten so used to pretending that he was blind. He taught himself to ignore his vision so that his eyes were always unfocussed.

[–] mlaiuppa 8 years ago

I suspect David Strathearn took it upon himself to do the research. He may have contacted a school for the blind and even undergone training. He is a highly professional and would have taken steps to ensure his performance was authentic if nothing was offered by the production.

[–] db20db (17427) 8 years ago

There was an amusing, very brief scene near the beginning where he was reading a Playboy magazine in Braille.