Page 14 - aruba-today-20201029

a14 people & arts
Thursday 29 OcTOber 2020
Entertainers discuss disability representation in Hollywood

By LINDSEY BAHR to carry 14 cups of coffee
AP Film Writer and work 20 hour days to
It's an old cliche that if an get a foot in the door.
actor wants to win an Os- "Instead of asking what you
car, he or she should con- won't be able to do, ask is
sider playing a character there anything I can do to
with a disability. And it's not help you do the best work
entirely unfounded advice: you can," LeBrecht said.
61 actors have been nomi- "None of us got to your
nated for playing a char- door by being oversensi-
acter with a disability and tive and mad at every-
27 have walked away win- body...we are comfortable
ners. But only two of those In this combination photo, Marlee Matlin, from left, arrives at the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy with our disability."
actors actually had a dis- Awards on June 19th, 2011 in Las Vegas, Millicent Simmonds arrives at the 24th annual Critics' VFX supervisor Kaitlyn Yang
ability — Marlee Matlin in Choice Awards on Jan. 13, 2019, in Santa Monica, Calif., Danny Woodburn attends the premiere said that people with dis-
"Children of a Lesser God" of "Dead Ant" on Oct. 10, 2017, in Los Angeles and Maysoon Zayid attends the Women's Media abilities can be particularly
and Harold Russell in "The Awards on Oct. 22, 2019, in New York. Associated Press effective in post-produc-
Best Years of Our Lives." tion roles. She's also found
That's just one of the things princess," said actor and sinski had to fight to cast a and tropes like the "sad lit- a silver-lining in the video
that needs to change, comedian Maysoon Zayid, deaf actor and that pro- tle man" or the "devious lit- conferencing realities of
according to a group who has cerebral palsy. ducers wanted someone tle man" and storylines that COVID-era filmmaking:
of entertainment indus- Zayid noted that people who was hearing. were the same. She doesn't have to won-
try professionals with dis- with visible and invisible "Deaf roles should be There is also the issue of der now if she should ad-
abilities including actors disabilities make up about played by deaf actors," she working and how produc- dress her wheelchair.
Danny Woodburn, "A Qui- 20% of the American popu- said through an interpreter. tions can be more accom- "Video conferencing is
et Place's" Millicent Sim- lation but a miniscule num- At times she's even taken modating to people with taking away the uncom-
monds and "Peanut Butter ber of characters on televi- it a step forward to advo- disabilities both on screen fortableness that people
Falcon's" Zack Gottsagen. sion and in film. cate for herself. and behind the scenes. might have if I were to take
They and other creatives "The message being sent "I'm not above calling di- Many noted that they don't a meeting and roll into the
with disabilities, from direc- out to disabled kids is you rectors or producers and want to ask for special ac- conference room," Yang
tors to VFX artists, spoke do not belong in this world," suggesting that they have commodations. said. "It puts us on an equal
about the state of repre- Zayid said. "People with a deaf actress for a partic- "Adam Sandler saw and playing field."
sentation in front of and disabilities face enormous ular role," she said. said, 'What is happening? Talent manager Eryn
behind the camera in series amounts of bullying, vio- But another part of the Make her trailer acces- Brown hopes that disability
of virtual panels organized lence and discrimination. equation is giving actors sible!" I said I didn't want to representation reach the
by the Academy of Motion Positive images of disability rich and nuanced sto- be high maintenance," she same level of discussion as
Picture Arts and Sciences can stop that." rylines that go beyond the said. LGBTQ and racial and eth-
that debuted Monday Part of that is casting ac- three they usually get: "'You "He said 'look around, we're nic diversity. She said the
night. The panels, funded in tors with disabilities to play can't love me because I'm in Hollywood.'" ingrained stigma around
part by a grant from the Ru- characters with disabilities. disabled,' 'heal me' or 'kill Jim LeBrecht, who directed it has even made her reti-
derman Family Foundation, Simmonds, who is deaf, me,'" said Zayid. the Netflix documentary cent to discuss it with her
coincides with the 30th an- said she's had to go up Woodburn, who has dwarf- "Crip Camp," said it could clients.
niversary year of the Ameri- against non-disabled ac- ism, remembers watching help if the industry re- "A raised awareness in this
cans with Disabilities Act. "It tors for disabled roles. She actors like Michael Dunn thought its own barriers to moment of cultural reck-
would be really helpful to recalled that her "A Quiet when he was young and entry, like starting as a pro- oning is imperative," Brown
have a disabled (Disney) Place" director John Kra- seeing only stereotypes duction assistant who has said. "Anyone at any mo-
ment can become dis-
abled so it's in everyone's
Questlove’s quest: best interests in the world

To find woman who to be accommodating."
The film academy, which
bought him a turntable puts on the Oscars, has
been working to increase
diversity in its own ranks
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — "Being the irresistible cat and in the industry and
Ahmir Thompson, founder that I was, I talked an old- recently set inclusion stan-
of The Roots and drum- er woman named Ellie into dards for best picture nom-
mer for the "Tonight Show" buying me a stereo and a inees. q
band, wants to find the record collection," Quest-
kind stranger who bought love posted on Facebook Solution Sudoku
him a turntable and sev- and Instagram.
eral records at the tender Ellie wrote the youngster's
age of 5. order on a napkin: "Bad Questlove arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at
Thompson — better known Blood" by Neil Sedaka, the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
as Questlove — posted "Dance With Me" by Rufus, Associated Press
on social media that he and the Jackson 5.
was traveling with his par- "I knew talking to strangers up a stranger when El- don't have him get in
ents, who made their liv- was a no-no, but my in- lie returned the next day trouble on my behalf!!
ing playing gigs, when he stincts paid off," he wrote. bearing gifts. He's so cute of course I
made friends with "Ellie" in His parents were upset But he says his new friend wanted to start his record
1976 in Portland, Maine. that he'd been chatting told his parents "please collection!!!"q
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