“I was not a softy as a boy. I couldn’t afford to be”: Patrick Stewart Once Bullied a Differently Abled Kid into Punching His Deformed Hand into the Wall Till He Saw Blood

Patrick Stewart has gained a lot of respect in Hollywood. He has starred in many notable roles over the years. He has played saviors and heroes, been a martyr, and even been an advisor to an emperor. His reputation and talent have earned him a lot of respect, so much so, that he was even knighted by Queen Elizabeth herself.

Despite the name he has made for himself now, after decades in the film industry, one simply cannot outrun their past. Unfortunately for the actor, his early years seemed to be quite bloody and full of malice. The actor once shared the dark corners of his childhood, and many fans would be concerned to hear what he had to say.

Stewart, who was bound to a wheelchair for his work in the X-Men franchise, used to bully a differently abled kid when he was younger.

Patrick Stewart Was a Bully

Patrick Stewart has a lot of very dedicated fans who have followed the work that he does for decades now. However, many may still be in the dark about the harsh truths of his childhood. In a section of his 2023 memoir, Making It So, the actor revealed the brutal environment he got good at navigating when he was younger.

It would seem that in the places he grew up in, Stewart had to learn how to be very strong at a very young age. Surviving seemed to be quite a challenge on the playground, which forced him to morph into a twisted version of himself. In his book, the actor revealed that in order to avoid bullying as a kid, he had to become a bully himself.

I was not a softy as a boy. I couldn’t afford to be. Where I came from, if you weren’t tough on the playground, you became a target for bullying. At times, I was one of the bullies, which I regret to this day.

If one did not bully others, they were next to get the bitter taste of it, and having no interest in that, Stewart was forced to become the very thing he feared. Now that he was grown, he looked back at the ghost of himself with nothing but shame. However, the insight that he gained over the years could not undo the horrible things that he did.

Patrick Stewart Bullied a Differently Abled Boy Bloody

Patrick Stewart then went on to reveal one of the darkest things he did during the bullying phase of his life. One of the frequent targets of bullying was a differently abled boy in his locality. He had a deformed hand, which unfortunately made him an easy target in those times.

There was a lad in our class who had a deformed hand: a small lump of skin and bone with tiny stubs for fingers, and only three of them.

In his book, the actor wrote the words that brought him the most shame; revealing exactly what he did to the poor boy in order to not become a target himself.

Stewart and his friends would demand that the boy bang his deformed hand against a stone wall over and over. Since no one would do something like this just because someone asked them to, they would threaten to beat up the boy if he did not do as they said. Afraid of what could happen, the boy would do exactly what they wanted, hitting his hand against the wall over and over until he drew blood.

We would surround him and threaten him with violence if he didn’t hammer his hand against the stone wall until it was bloody, just for our cruel amusement. When he obliged and we were all satisfied, we would give him a shove onto the cobbles and run off laughing. I look back upon this behaviour with deep shame.

It is safe to say that many fans would feel disappointed and surprised at this part of Stewart’s life. While his feelings on the matter do not amend his actions, the actor mentioned that he absolutely hated that he did these things, and looking back at them makes him feel disgusted with himself.