Why would this be a bad idea. Well lets say that you are a kid who does not go to an inclusive school. A kid that has never had a disabled neighbor or friend. When you go to the cinema and see people with disabilities portrayed in movies you think " That is what disability looks like because that is all I have seen in terms of disability. This is bad because its just acting and at best its an interpretation of how a person with a disability is suppose to act .
We used to do the same thing to African Americans in the days during slavery and reconstruction. It was called a minstrel show. White Actors were black makeup and acted a fool for entertainment. It was horrible. Here is a small clip. of what it was like.
If it wasn't ok back then then it currently isn't ok to have able bodied characters portray disabled ones. Actors with disabilities can do a better job portraying those disabilities for the simple fact that we understand the disability because we live with it every day. One of the best movies I have seen about inclusion is Yo Tambien or Me Too. Its a romantic drama about a young man with Down Syndrome portrayed by an actor with the same disability, who falls in love with an average women. This movie does a good job by creating a character that defies the stereotypes that are typical for characters with disabilities. I highly recommend watching it.
On a related note today is Spread the Word to End the Word today. In my town I have heard the word less which I believe means that the event is working. Words are powerful and have meanings deeply rooted in American Culture. These are not ok to use or say. Words matter. Here is a post I wrote on the topic a few years back.
BTW I really liked the theory of everything but I wish that the actor had an disability.
3 comments:
Hollywood: so close and so far!
Very good and very important!
There are lots of interesting roles, including ones which are not specifically coded as such.
It would be good if CPs could play anyone they wanted in the theatre, at the movies and on radio [in podcasts too: like WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE] and the TV.
The last week and so Dominick Evans has been writing about THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING [I read ~13 pages of the script and tried to imagine everything that Stephen Hawking would do ... blocks and things like that].
Much of the University of Cambridge is on swamp/marsh land.
Yes, words do have roots in culture. And of course there are multiple US cultures. Very often there would be clashing and conflict and co-operation and competition.
[Will one of the posts be about etiquette and what is expected of guests?]
Independence Chick wrote two good posts in the last week of February/first week of March.
Yes, we think a lot about actors and agents and their relationships.
Do you go to the Sprout ReelAbilities film festival? And I'm thinking of Margot Cole's films especially the latest one CRIPS NOT CREEPS.
We would hope the interpretation would be picked which fleshes out the character and makes them live and sing in the story and in real life.
Marketing + advertising are very important for actors, as they are for everyone in the industry.
Geri Jewell and RJ Mitte are two actors I know of that have CP - but you're right - they are few and far between!
Adelaide Dupont, Thank you so so much for recommending my films and highlighting my film "Crips Not Creeps" http://cripvideoproductions.com/cripsnotcreeps.php http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com
As far as disabled actors go there is Gregg Mozgala who is a professional actor with CP who has become well known for the documentary "Enter The Faun" which I love! It is available on DVD now here http://www.enterthefaun.com/buy/
Then there's a brand new show called "Speechless" that has an actor with Cerebral Palsy airing on ABC but I do not know the actors name off the top of my head. Sorry. Therefore I think it is possible for people with CP to break into the entertainment business(I have CP myself) but we have to show Hollywood disabled actors playing disabled characters equals money for them.
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