Written by Yaheimy Rosado
Is it ok for nondisabled actors to play disabled characters?
When it comes to Hollywood, there is rarely any inclusion of people with disabilities. In those times where there is, it’s usually portrayed by an able-bodied actor. So, do disabled people agree with able-bodied actors portraying disabled characters? There is a huge debate in the disabled community on whether disabled characters can be played by non-disabled actors. In general, the community is divided on this topic. Some don’t see a problem with it, while others may find it offensive and think this should stop. According to Yalda Tehranian, about 95% of movies and shows with disabled characters are played by non-disabled actors. That leaves 5% of movies and shows actually using disabled people to portray disabled characters. Hollywood has actually been called out for their ableism on many occasions because of how many times they have excluded autistic actors. Hollywood has come out with a few things representing autism, but very rarely used autistic people both as actors and in the writing process. Most of the time, when a disabled character is created, they are usually seen as the helpless victim or some villain. Other times, disabled people are used as a plot point in the tv show or movie to motivate or inspire the main character.
Now, some people think that playing a disabled character as a non-disabled actor is the equivalent of wearing makeup to appear darker for a role. If a white actor wore a lot of makeup to appear black, that would bring a lot of hate to the actor. It also makes people mad when they change a character’s skin color. For example, in the live action of the little mermaid, Ariel was portrayed by a Black actress and so many people were mad because the animated Ariel is white. Black people were upset with everyone that said it wasn’t right because they said Disney needed to make more black characters. I kind of see where it was coming from because if Tiana was portrayed by a white woman in a live action, then Black people wouldn’t be happy either. I will watch the movie regardless because they are animated characters so it doesn’t really matter as long as the story doesn’t change drastically. Anyway, people who don’t agree with able-bodied actors-
Person surrounded by, and holding a lot of printed faces. As in changing identity in a way.
-portraying disabled characters saw it as robbing them of roles. When a famous actor plays a disabled character, they almost always win the awards they were nominated for. When a disabled actor portrays a disabled character, they don’t usually get the hype and praise that someone else would’ve gotten. Maybe this is because able-bodied actors have to work hard to portray the character and the disability part comes naturally for disabled actors because they have lived with it, or maybe it only matters when you are already famous. Disabled people feel as if those actors are faking their identity by portraying a disabled character.
An example of this happening was in 2021, Sia made a film titled “Music”. In this film, she cast Madison Ziegler, a non autistic actress and dancer, to play an autistic person. Sia received a lot of backlash for that and autistic people felt that it was wrong and they felt like they were being mocked, or made fun of. Sia had originally tried to work with a non-verbal autistic girl, but then decided the role was too demanding and caused her to cast Ziegler instead. It would have made sense since Ziegler had been dancing her whole life and always used the corresponding facial expressions for each dance, but it didn’t sit right with a lot of people.https://dailytitan.com/opinion/hollywood-lacks-representation-of-people-with-autism/article_956d52b6-b55a-11ec-9d80-732f85607101.html
Another example of this was in a movie starring an Academy award winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, called “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” DiCaprio played a character named Arnie Grape, an intellectually disabled character. He went to a mental hospital to prepare himself for this role, but in the end, he just ended up doing whatever he wanted. A lot of people who saw the movie said that they fell in love with the movie because it was heartbreaking, captivating, and extremely well-made. I watched the trailer and all I saw him doing was laughing and talking to himself. He would just do whatever he felt like doing in the moment, like throw spaghetti in the air. His performance is what I imagined Lennie to be like from the book “Of mice and men.” I did not find any negative feedback of his portrayal of the character. I did see comments comparing this movie to the Sia film, “Music” and how this one is so much better even though it is much older. It kind of had me wondering if it was because of the person who played it or the length of the film. Maybe if Ziegler had more time on screen to do a better performance or if she had DiCaprio’s fame, maybe they wouldn’t have cared as much. https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-did-whatever-he-wanted-while-filming-whats-eating-gilbert-grape-i-would-be-throwing-spaghetti-in-the-air.html/
An example of a disabled character portrayed by a disabled person was Aryana Engineer in the movie “Orphan.” She played a little deaf girl named Max, and the actress herself was partially deaf. She was actually discovered when she was seen signing with her mom in 2007. In the movie she wears her cochlear implants and uses sign language, just as she does in real life. I personally really loved that part of the movie because the movie wouldn’t have been as good if the character, Max, wasn’t deaf. So, the fact that they incorporated a disability and used an actress with the same disability for the role made it so much better.
Little girl with a hearing aid, smiling.
Something that I believe would be better would be to cast disabled people as disabled roles. It can sometimes be hard for them to get jobs because of their disabilities and people thinking they won’t be competent. So maybe casting them to do something that they can do naturally would be easier. They can get into “character” easier than someone who has never had to live with the disability. If I were disabled and I saw someone mocking the way I act because of my disability and doing it in an incorrect way, I would feel offended. Maybe that isn’t the case for all disabled people, but it is for a lot of them. Hollywood could do a lot better with inclusion, and that does not only go for disabilities, but for many other things. So what do you think? Should able bodied actors portray disabled characters, or should they be portrayed by a person who has the same disability that was written for the character?
A set of dice spelling the word inclusion, but the “in” is also on the verge of “ex” to spell exclusion.
Citations
Tehranian, Y. (2022, July 15). The case for authentic disability representation in Media. Center for Scholars & Storytellers. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/blog-main/diversity-in-hollywood-the-case-for-authentic-disability-representation-in-film-and-tv
Gipson, J. (2020, November 19). Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-did-whatever-he-wanted-while-filming-whats-eating-gilbert-grape-i-would-be-throwing-spaghetti-in-the-air.html/
Juarez, A. (2022, April 6). Hollywood lacks representation of people with autism. Daily Titan. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://dailytitan.com/opinion/hollywood-lacks-representation-of-people-with-autism/article_956d52b6-b55a-11ec-9d80-732f85607101.html
Davis, L. J. (2018). 43 part A. and part B. In Beginning with disability: A Primer. essay, Routledge.
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