Disabled characters should be played by disabled actors | Opinion

• Claire Barnett is autistic, has ADHD and works in disability advocacy at Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation.

The movie "Driving Miss Daisy" used to warm hearts in the most wholesome way. And parents didn’t give a second thought to how appropriate "Dumbo" or "Peter Pan" were for their children. But that’s changed.

These films — once considered innocent — are now recognized as perpetuating and normalizing racism. Not in blatantly obvious ways, but in ways that are even more troubling because they are subtle. "Driving Miss Daisy" is the story of a Black man who must tolerate racism from his employer while shouldering the burden of singlehandedly changing her attitude towards Black people. Native American stereotypes and slurs are littered through "Peter Pan," and the singing crows in "Dumbo" are imitations of a racist minstrel show. 

'Music,' Maddie Ziegler, Sia and autism

But the movie "Music," expected in early 2021, will be perfect for family movie night. It’s the heartwarming tale of a non-speaking autistic girl named Music. Throughout the movie, the girl’s half-sister must learn to understand the “special” way that Music sees the world. Music is played by "Dance Moms" TV show alum Maddie Ziegler, and the film is directed by award-winning musician Sia. While neither is autistic, they report having worked with a handful of self-advocates on the movie.

And in 10 or 15 years, "Music" will have gone the way of "Dumbo" and "Peter Pan." It is a startling example of what disability advocates call "cripface" — when a non-disabled actor plays a disabled character. Cripface is harmful in the same way blackface is; it suggests that disability is an identity that can be temporarily assumed for the purpose of entertaining people. In the best scenarios, it has mocking undertones. In the worst, it devalues disabled peoples’ very existence.

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As an #actuallyautistic woman, I feel frustrated and disturbed by both the movie's portrayal and Sia’s response. When asked why she would cast neurotypical reality star Ziegler instead of an autistic actress, Sia tweeted that “casting someone at [Music’s] level of functioning was cruel,” implying that there were no autistic actresses who could handle the role. When an autistic actress on Twitter said she would have loved to play the titular character, Sia replied, “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.”

Erasing disability creates obstacles

And when Sia said that rather than being disabled, the character of Music has “special abilities,” she participated in the erasure of disability that too often prevents people from accessing needed accommodations. Again, to use a comparison that might be familiar, it’s like when someone says “I don’t see color” about race.

There’s a reason autistic people are distraught, and disabled people of all stripes have spoken out against Sia’s movie and her response to the outcry. We are sick of being visible to able-bodied people only when our stories are “inspiring” or entertaining. We are disturbed by non-disabled people thinking they can accurately portray the complexity of disabled stories because they “spent three … years researching.”

There is no amount of research that makes it OK for a non-disabled actor to don cripface. It’s not like pretending to have a certain career or age or hometown. While those things can be personal, they are not associated with groups that have historically faced systemic discrimination. (And no, it’s not inappropriate for a disabled actor to play a non-disabled character, because able-bodied individuals do not collectively experience discrimination.) 

If you love "Forrest Gump" or "Rain Man," that doesn’t make you evil. But it’s time for you to assess representations of disabled people in the media you consume. Even when a non-disabled actor’s representation is well-researched and accurate, it’s not the best we can do as a society. There are too many talented disabled actors — and too high an unemployment rate among disabled people — for cripface to ever make sense. Let’s #endcripface for good."

Claire Barnett (@clairetbear and @autistic.chick) is autistic, has ADHD and works in disability advocacy at Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation (@autismandinnovation). She may be reached at claire.barnett@vanderbilt.edu.