Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything. Kevin McHale in Glee. Both of these actors faced some criticism for being able-bodied actors portraying disabled characters. In these examples, the criticism was unjustified: Redmayne was required to play Stephen Hawking both before and after his motor neurone disease took hold, while McHale’s character Artie has appeared able-bodied in dream sequences. In Kingsman: The Secret Service, there was no reason for the character of Gazelle to be portrayed by an able-bodied actress. But the fact there is that Gazelle was initially intended to be played by a male Paralympian. That Paralympian was Oscar Pistorius. You see why that fell through. The problem isn’t just that able-bodied actors are taking disabled roles (though that is of course a contributing factor.) You also have to consider the fact that there just simply aren’t enough roles out there for disabled actors, and that disabled actors are almost entirely overlooked for roles unrelated to disability.
There’s a number of reasons why disabled actors are so absent from the mainstream. Firstly, there’s the fact that the big films all want a star name attached, of which there aren’t many with physical or learning disabilities. But offering those roles to disabled actors could also make them superstars and role models, and for this we look to Laverne Cox. Previously, most transgender characters were played by cisgender actors and actresses, until Cox exploded onto the scene in Orange is the New Black, getting an Emmy nomination and a Time magazine cover out of it (and yes, again this was television.) Why can this not also be the case for disabled actors? As much as I believe that Patrick Stewart was the perfect Professor X in the X-Men series, that part (though not the James McAvoy version) could equally have gone to a wheelchair-bound actor. Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio were both exceptional in My Left Foot and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, but how many disabled actors were considered?
The kind of roles on offer also adds to the problem. As with The Theory of Everything, many disabled roles are concerned with how the character became disabled, thus requiring an able-bodied actor. My Left Foot and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? are in fact quite rare in presenting a from-birth condition.
Finally, there’s the fact that disabled actors only seem to be considered for roles in mainstream film that are about their disability, rarely playing the love interest in a romance, the protagonist in a comedy, the survivor in a horror etc. Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars could have been (but wasn’t) played by an actor with an amputated leg, as that is part of his character, but why not have a love interest in a film with an amputated leg that wasn’t part of the script? It can add a new layer to the character without being all about their disability. As with gay actors playing straight roles (which is still a debate in itself), a character doesn’t necessarily have to be written as disabled for a disabled actor to play them.
Ultimately, it’s down to what is the best decision for the project. But as television has shown, there are plenty of talented disabled actors out there just waiting for a great role, and plenty of disabled viewers waiting for a role model. I’m not saying start giving roles just because an actor is disabled, but there is a wealth of disabled talent out there that deserves to be considered.
What Do You Think?
Is disability portrayed well in cinema?
Should there be a call for disabled actors in disabled roles?
Let us know in the comments below!