In a recent interview with NPR, Stranger Things and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Maya Hawke got super candid about having dyslexia.
When asked about having to "suffer" with dyslexia, Maya replied, "I wouldn't say suffer. I would say it is one of the great blessings of my life, in a lot of ways."
"I did get kicked out of school for not being able to read when I was a kid, and I went to a special school for kids with learning disabilities," she said. "It took me a long time to learn how to read — and I still am limited."
"There's something about having had a limitation, in regards to my ability to produce and take in stories, that made me even more determined to love them and understand them and grow in them."
"That said, it was deeply difficult," she continued. "Every grade that went by, you get dropped down into a lower and lower reading group. Other kids find out and there's bullying in place — but my parents did a wonderful job of encouraging me to be creative."
And thank the high heavens that they did encourage her to be creative, because we get to swoon over her in Stranger Things!
You can listen to Maya's full interview and hear more about her debut album, Blush, here.