Media & Disability
Guide on media & disability
Casting Actors
There are two key issues for producers of drama to consider. The first concerns the use of disabled people for roles that have a disability, rather than using non-disabled actors. Casting directors and producers should always consider performers with disabilities first for all parts specially written as disabled. (After all it is no longer considered acceptable to use “blacked-up” actors to play black characters such as Shakespeare’s Othello.) Having said that, the best actor for the part should be the one to get the job.
Frances Higson, Producer, Antonine Films, UK
“One of our lead characters in our feature film Orphans had cerebral palsy. We decided to find someone with the condition to play the role rather than get an actress to pretend... we contacted disability groups and community centres throughout Scotland... it was an extremely rewarding experience and what ended up on the screen was credible. I think that if producers have a character with a disability they should explore the option of working with a disabled person. The benefits can certainly outweigh the difficulties.”
The second issue is about integrated casting, that is, using disabled actors for roles that have no mention of a disability. In its policy statement on the under-representation of disabled performers in the entertainment industry, Equity (the UK actors’ union) advocates that the casting of artists should be on the basis of their individual abilities as artists, regardless of their disability. This standpoint, which has also been applied to casting irrespective of race, has not yet received much attention.
Not all of this, of course, is the responsibility of the script writer. When casting a part why assume that every part has to be played by a non-disabled actor? Why not consider giving a character a disability without worrying about integrating the disability into the script? Why not make sure that your extras sometimes include people with visible impairments?
Increasing Visibility
In broadcasting, visibly disabled people generally make up less than 1% of the on-screen total television population. In drama, real disabled actors (especially playing a part which does not call for a disability) are rarely seen. Light Entertainment does even less well, despite the fashion for ‘reality’ television.
Commissioning Editors and Producers have a vital role to play in changing this picture and finding and hiring disabled talent, whether this be professional performers such as actors or other contributors such as game show participants or routine interviewees.
In the UK there have been several pieces of research that shows that audiences want to see more disabled people on screen, and in a wider variety of roles, for example, newsreader. This section gives some ideas on how you can achieve this.