Actors with Disabilities
Casting the Right Performer Comes Down to Talent, Not Disability
Hollywood has always had mixed attitudes toward actors with disabilities. Even with two shows that feature characters with disabilities being portrayed by actors with disabilities, Fox is using a nondisabled actor to portray a paraplegic in its hit series Glee.
Is Hollywood Shunning Disabled Actors?
The casting of a nondisabled actor to portray paraplegic Artie has once again stirred the ire of disabled actors and those who advocate for them. They see Kevin McHale's casting as a slap in the face, another lost opportunity to employ an actor with a disability.
Robert David Hall, who has portrayed Dr. Al Robbins on CSI:Crime Scene Investigation for the past nine years and is national chair of the Screen Actor's Guild Performers with Disabilities Committee, recently told the Associated Press of actors with disabilities, "I think there's a fear of litigation, that a person with disabilities might slow a production down, fear that viewers might be uncomfortable. I've made my living as an actor for 30 years and I walk on two artificial legs."
Disability On Screen Throughout the Years
Most disabled characters that are seen on TV and in the movies are no longer objects of pity or something to be laughed at. In most instances, however, characters with disabilities are still blended into the background and only mentioned as an afterthought.
There are a few notable exceptions to this, though.
The most high-profile of these exceptions is the Oscar-winning movie My Left Foot, the story of Irish artist Christy Brown. Though the movie drew criticism for not using a disabled actor, Daniel Day-Lewis won acclaim for his accurate portrayal of a man with cerebral palsy.
Television shows as far back as Little House on the Prairie and The Facts of Life have featured characters with disabilities. Shows that are on the air today that feature characters with disabilities include Brothers, Breaking Bad and Private Practice. These characters with disabilities are all portrayed by actors with disabilities and so have not met with criticism.
Talent vs. Disability
And then there's Glee.
The show is being attacked because they hired the most qualified actor to play the role of paraplegic Artie. Kevin McHale plays the part, but he's not disabled. In an interview with PopEater, McHale answered the criticisms the show has drawn for casting him as Artie. "The point wasn't to get somebody who was in a wheelchair. It was the actor. It's the part that you're playing. It's not about whatever else goes on." And of the other actors who auditioned, McHale says he rose to the physical (and vocal) challenge: "It was just kind of, whoever fit the part best was gonna play it."
On this show, the music is the centerpiece. Many disabled actors no doubt auditioned for the role, but how many could sing? The decision to hire the best singer for the role has brought the show under attack because the actor is not disabled but the character is. Brad Falchuk, Glee's executive producer, notes that they did attempt to bring diversity to the Fox series. "We brought in anyone: white, black, Asian, in a wheelchair. It was very hard to find people who could really sing, really act, and have that charisma you need on TV."
By that logic, only divorced actors can play divorced characters, married actors can play married characters and actors who have children can play parents. It just wouldn't work. This is the general consensus of thousands of Fox Network and TV Guide message board posters, the fans who've come to love and identify with the show and its quirky characters.
Acting is about becoming someone different. And sometimes that means using an actor based on his talent, not his disability.
Cast of Glee
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