Stuttering needn’t be a block to success

Your article “Addison native getting started on Hollywood career” about Celesta DeAstis was very interesting. The article mentioned that she stuttered early in life and that acting helped her speech.

Well, Celesta is in good company because many actors and actresses have done the same thing. For instance, both Bruce Willis and Peggy Lipton stuttered into their late teen years when they found that acting was a tool that lead them to fluency. The website of the Stuttering Foundation has a list of “Famous People Who Stutter” who have distinguished themselves in the areas of entertainment, science, business, pro sports, literature and government. Some of the actors of the list are James Earl Jones, Nicholas Brendon, Emily Blunt, Nicole Kidman, Rowan Atkinson, Tom Sizemore, Eric Roberts, Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Stewart, Raymond Massey and Jack Paar. There is even a celebrity section with in-depth articles on many of these people.

The website of the Stuttering Foundation, a nonprofit organization, also offers many free resources for people who stutter. While I enjoyed your article on Celesta DeAstis, I would like to add my own comment that I believe that one day we will see her name on the list of famous people who stutter along with the big stars.

Carlo Peluso

Arlington Heights