Although there has been a distinct drive to represent different minorities in Hollywood disabled people in various sectors of society, there still appears to be a lack of visibility, particularly on the silver screen. So says the revered playwright and screenwriter, Jack Thorne. Jack, himself lives with a disability and questions why disabled people are still being unrepresented when Hollywood has celebrated using actors of various races and genders.
All an Act
Jack, has written a number of high-profile works for stage and screen, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the recent television adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s acclaimed, ‘His Dark Materials’. Throughout his career, Jack has made a conscious effort to cast disabled actors and encourage the visibility of people from all walks of life but feels the industry as a whole is lagging behind in casting disabled actors. He highlights, in particular, the number of able-bodied actors being cast in disabled roles. Though in recent years productions doing this has prompted criticism, it’s still not treated as seriously as if for example, a white actor was cast in a non-white role. Jack explains;
“It feels like doors are very slowly opening to diversity in general but disability is excluded from that” (BBC online, 2019)
Taking the Stage
It appears that the theatre has been much more open to inclusivity than television or film. Earlier this year, actress Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony for her performance on Broadway. In British theatre, there are some ground-breaking shows being performed, designed to take inclusivity to the next level. Midnight Movie, written by Eve Leigh and currently running at The Royal Court Theatre, London, explores the limits of disability in inventive ways. The play combines spoken English, BSL, captions and audio description to allow as many participants as possible to be included. Not only that, but Eve has included a digital experience linked to the play for people whose bodies cannot physically make it to the theatre. This audience can experience Midnight Movie through a series of emails. The digital story is told through tales, essays and audio-visual content sent directly to their inboxes and is a truly innovative concept.
Inclusivity Increasing?
Perhaps inspired by theatre, Hollywood has started making more inclusive choices. Last year the blockbuster horror film, A Quiet Place was hailed for casting deaf actress Millicent Simmonds in a major role and there are many supporters of the cause. Jack has consistently focused on casting disabled actors in his own productions which has no doubt done a great deal for inclusivity. Sadly though, he still believes that Hollywood has been slow to catch on. Jack stated when asked if he believed the industry was getting better or worse for disabled actors;
“They’re certainly not getting better. I still have the same casting conversations I always had, and it depends on the production as to whether I’m listened to.” (BBC online, 2019)
