Profoundly dyslexic, Dempsey said racing and acting require similar mental discipline and the ability to compartmentalise. "I process things very quickly and sometimes I think when one is dyslexic I am processing the world too fast and can't allow it to get to my mouth," he explained. "It does teach me to stay calm and work on the mental side of things, and that then translates into the car. The slower you are the faster you are."
Learning a script,like studying a technical manual,has its challenges. But the outcome can be all the more satisfying. "You just learn a different way. I can't sit down and read from a text book. I would never comprehend it. It's taken me a long time to be OK with that and not be down on myself," he said.
"A lot of actors don't learn their lines untill the very last minute. I have to put in far more time ... But when I do I know my lines inside and out. So if something is distracting me to my left, I can incorporate that and add it to the scene.
"I think that also applies into racing,as situational awareness. The more you are aware of what your surroundings are, the better off you are in the car."
Inside the closeted motor racing bubble, Dempsey is a racer first and foremost-some in the pitlane even unaware of his celebrity status-and that works just fine for him.
"What is success in Hollywood I don't know what that means really," he mused. "What's a hit movie? What's a hit show? What's a good performance?
"A good performance on the track shows in the time. You can't lie