Disability in Television
I posted this last week on my Tumblr but I thought I could post it here to see if anyone had an opinion on it.
I’ve just watched a very interesting program on BBC2 about Disability on Television through the last 50 years. Seeing things like ‘Help your local Spastic’ signs go to complete outrage when someone who is not disabled portraying a disabled character causing an outrage really made me think alot about this issue.
Firstly, like sexuality and race, i’ve always thought a disability should always be a PS at the end of a long list of a person’s traits and personality in a very small font. It should never make up who a person is. For example someone whose only point in life is to play up the fact that they are gay and have a complete chip on their shoulder about it will automatically piss me off.
The issue of ‘able bodied’ actors portraying disabled characters is one that has caused alot of controversy recently. Most notably for me is Kevin McHale playing Artie in Glee. Artie was involved in a car crash at a young age, causing him to have to use a wheelchair whereas Kevin is able to walk perfectly well (and dance amazingly i might add). There was quite an uproar over the episode of Glee exploring his character more (Wheels) that he was not a wheelchair user.
I would emphatically say that this is not something that I agree with. From the viewpoint of a casting director, when chosing between an actor that can walk and an actor that has to use a wheelchair, I don’t believe that the fact one actor is in a wheelchair should enter into their thought process.
Yes, the actor would tick the wheelchair box but what happens if that actor is then awful or inferior at portraying the character in relation to the other possible actor? If an actor is suitable then the talent and personality of said actor should shine through their disability.
This same ideal follows though in line with the article written that gay actors like Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris should not play straight characters because they are not straight or ‘unbelievable’. In my opinon NPH is one of the most believable straight actors when playing Barney, moreso than many straight actors. In the same way I believe, if they are serious about it and are not going to do it chichéd way (unless the part calls for it of course) then a straight actor should be able to play a homosexual character (see Eric McCormack in Will & Grace, Tracie Thoms & Idina Menzel in Rent etc)
I hope I’ve made sense and that this sparks something somewhere with someone.