Disabled Actors In Film/Hollywood | Octane seating
When it comes to entertainment and the silver screen, everyone loves a good film experience. And with the variety of genres, themes, and issues that films can address, it is no wonder that certain aspects of real life are brought on screen, either through the story or through the actors themselves.
Actors bring not only their characters to life, but also bring their own personal expertise, experiences, and abilities to the role. So, how is this affected when the actor in question lives with a disability in their personal life, and how does this impact the role they are playing?
Read on to find out more information on disabilities in the world of acting, actors who have disabilities in film and Hollywood, and why it is important to have this type of representation in cinema.
Actors with Disabilities in the World of Film
So, what does it mean to have a disability in the film industry?
Just like any other instance, actors who deal with disabilities are just as proficient as those actors who do not have disabilities. What these actors have to contend with is not only their personal health, but also an industry that does not always cast equally—be that in matters of disability, race, gender, etc.
These disabilities range from learning difficulties such as dyslexia, to Tourette Syndrome, Asperger’s, ADHD, physical disabilities, ASD or autism spectrum disorders, and more.
But what is key here, is that the actors who deal with such difficulties do not let them define their acting ability, whether they are famous stars or independent movie actors.
Disabilities onscreen take two forms:
While the latter is obviously fictional, characters with disabilities is another part of the greater role that disability has to play in the film industry.
However, the problem arises when these actors who play such characters do not actually live with disabilities themselves. You may not need to be disabled to portray such a character, but in an industry that has so many excellent actors who do themselves live with being disabled, why the disparity in casting? And further, out of all the actors who won awards for playing characters with disabilities, why have only 2 of these actors been disabled themselves?
Unfortunately, this is a problem throughout the film industry as a whole, and something that will be discussed in more detail later on.
For now, keep in mind the disparity between actors with disabilities and casting actors without disabilities in their stead.
Popularity and Problems of Disability Portrayal on Screen
It is no secret that films with characters with disabilities and strong themes of disabilities have been incredibly popular in the past few decades. It can almost be classed as a sub-genre in itself, and that is not always a good thing
Films such as My Left Foot (1989), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Inside I’m Dancing (2004), or Me Before You (2016), use not only actors without disabilities to portray characters with disabilities, but do not always have the character’s personal interest or best manner of representation in mind.
The same applies to some of the actors who have portrayed these characters—the cliched saying that playing a characters with disabilities is a golden ticket to winning a film award has the outcome of actors not always putting the necessary respect into their roles as people who live with disabilities.
While this is obviously an old film, and made before some more modern major civil rights movements, it still does shine a light on the treatment of disabilities in film history.
The Issue of “Otherness”
One massive issue in film is the treatment of people or characters with disabilities as “the other” and distancing them instead of drawing human compassion and equivalence.
Falling into this trap of “othering” was also common in early portrayal of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities, where such characters were purposefully made effeminate and other, to draw attention to the differences between them and heterosexual characters.
The “othering” of characters with disabilities is seen in older films, such as Werner Herzog’s two 1971 offerings Handicapped Future and Land of Silence and Darkness.
One massive issue in film is the treatment of people or characters with disabilities as “the other” and distancing them instead of drawing human compassion and equivalence.
Falling into this trap of “othering” was also common in early portrayal of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities, where such characters were purposefully made effeminate and other, to draw attention to the differences between them and heterosexual characters.
The “othering” of characters with disabilities is seen in older films, such as Werner Herzog’s two 1971 offerings Handicapped Future and Land of Silence and Darkness.
But, going forward from early exposures, it is a fact that films portraying disabilities have been popular in the recent decades. And yes, sometimes, before the industry began to deal with disabilities in a more respectful and inclusive manner. It has been noted that some films use disabilities in a way that authenticity is less important than a big message, heightened emotions, and splashy acting.
Issues with Ableist Clichés
There are certainly other issues with disability portrayals in some films, like deepened ableist stereotypes, such as:
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