The Guardian’s Rebecca Atkinson makes a valid point today, when she decries the lack of disabled actors in soaps, our most visible form of television drama.
Unfortunately, she spoils the piece by making a fundamental error:
On the rare occasion that real disabled actors make it on to our screen, it seems they never last long. Coronation Street became the first soap to have a disabled character played by a genuinely disabled actor when Emily Bishop’s deaf niece Freda came to visit before returning “back where she came from”.
While the casting of Freda was fine, and garnered Granada an award from the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR), the achievement is eclipsed by a number of years by Julie Fernandez, who played Vanessa in the BBC’s Eldorado. She may not have lasted long either, but that’s due to the soap being cancelled rather than her casting being a passing hat-tip to political correctness.
Another target for Atkinson’s article is the casting of EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell, played since the character’s return this year by Charlie Jones.
With the exception of Mark Fowler (HIV positive), EastEnders has never had a disabled character, until recently when Phil Mitchell’s estranged son, Ben, arrived. Ben is partially deaf. The BBC can put a big fat tick next to its quota and pat itself on its smug back. Only it cheated - the actor is hearing.
All technically true, although it conveniently forgets that the character had years ago been diagnosed deaf as a baby after contracting meningitis. And it’s hard enough to find good child actors who can cope with a soap opera environment at age 10, let alone ones that fit a character’s physical requirement set out the best part of a decade earlier.
Atkinson labels such casting as very “Minstrel Show”, as if Jones’ casting is on anything like a par with the gross caricaturisation that the Black and White Minstrel Show provided week in, week out, and that’s a comparison that I can’t agree with. She is absolutely right, though, when she says that we should have more disabled actors working in mainstream drama, not pushed off to the sidelines — or pushed off screen altogether.
I used to have the biggest crush on Julie Fernandez in Eldorado.
Emmerdale of course had Chris Tate who lost the use of his legs in the show. But of course not in real life. But the problem with a lot of TV shows is just that - most want to show a history to the character and so for a lot of it they need an able-bodied actor to be able to play the 'before the accident' shots. Joan of Arcadia in the US had a young man in a wheelchair but the whole point was he was a huge athlete before his car accident (drunk driving).
It's the same old story though, isn't it. You don't need an actor to 'be' the thing they are portraying - in fact, it kind of goes against the whole point of being an actor if you do. Otherwise we'd all be demanding that the lesbian characters in Bad Girls, Sugar Rush etc are played by real lesbians. And that people playing 16 years old orphans on Tracy Beaker really ARE 16 year old orphans. It's about entertainment in the end and if they don't have the writers and actors who can portray it well, then we'll all suffer from having bad representation on the screens.
It should be about talent, not equal opportunities quotas. I hated the disabled character they introduced to Holby City - not because he was disabled, because he was utterly wooden in it. I'm sure there are incredibly talented actors who just happen to be disabled out there. But people should be employed on their skills first - just as in ANY job.
Discrimination, including "positive" is wrong, so I would never agree that only a disabled actor could/ should play a disabled character. It should be talent that wins, and not about whether all the 'boxes' are ticked!
I am 27 but I often play 16 and 17 year olds. It would be ridiculous to say that I should only play my own age, just as it is silly to only have disabled actors playing disabled characters. Remember the film "My Left Foot"? The disabled character in that was played by an able bodied actor and to high acclaim.
Lets concentrate on real talent getting work whether the actor is disabled, white, black, asian etc, the best should get the job.
If we could get to a stage where the best person gets the job irrespective of disability / non-disability, that would, of course, be ideal. But that is a long way off. Such an approach in the current climate will inevitably discriminate in favour of non-disabled actors.
The comment that the nature of acting is about the ability to play roles outside of your own experience is fine as far as sexuality is concerned. But how would a blind actor play a sighted character? Or a wheelchair user play a character expected to walk, run and jump? It is inherently not possible.
So if a disabled actor is the most talented and suited to a role, how many writers / directors / production companies will invest the time and resources in redesigning the role to accomodate the actor's wheelchair / deafness / visual impairment / learning disability etc? Very very very few! Which means that, in practical terms, a disabled actor will very rarely be considered the best person for the job.
To compound this inequality, disabled people find it equally difficult to have opportunities to the best performance training, which is designed in terms of non-disabled performers and is frequently unwilling to remodel itself to address the needs of disabled people. Again, given this situation, how are they expected to compete with their non-disabled peers in the casting market?
So the odds are stacked against disabled performers at every stage of the training / casting / production process. In this climate, the only opportunites that really present themselves to disabled performers are those that involve disabled characters. And when these parts go to non-disabled actors, it further freezes disabled people out of the cultural life of the country, regardless of their ability.
It seems "The Stage" has also made a "fundamental error" when telling The Guardian off for their "fundamental error" too.
Roger Tonge was the first actor in soap to have a disability. Like the character of Chris Tate in Emmerdale, Roger's Sandy Richardson was also confined to a wheelchair. Sadly, life imitated art, and Roger through Hodgkin's disease ended up in one himself. It might be worth noting Crossroads also had the first Down’s syndrome actress too.
Yes there sure is a need for more actors with disabilities but where are the roles? Why not a role for an adult with Downs Syndrome in a leading soap? A positive role model for new parents of babies with learning disabiliites. Why not a role in an ensemble piece like Skins -showing that teengares with disabilities are firstly well teenagers!
The new Mark Haddon BBC play Coming Down the Mountain will be an excellent but very rare, once in 10 years chance, for a young actor with Downs Syndrome to play a meaty, leading role in major prime time drama.
Producers, writers Directors please take note - more meaty roles and they can be integrated into lots of dramas, not jut those about disability.
I AM DEAF AND REGISTERED DISABLED.. I HAVE A HEARING DOG WHO ACCOMPANIES ME EVERYWHERE. I HAVE VERY LONG BROWN / BLOND HAIR AND CONSIDERED VERY ATTRACTIVE. I WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE TO APPEAR ON TELEVISION AS I THINK I WOULD BE VERY GOOD. PLEASE CAN YOU HELP.
NICOLA
I AM DEAF AND REGISTERED DISABLED. I HAVE A HEARING DOG THAT ACCOMPANIES ME EVERYWHERE. I HAVE VERY LONG BROWN/BLOND HAIR AND CONSIDERED VERY ATTRACTIVE. I WOULD LIKE TO APPEAR ON TELEVISION AND THINK I WOULD BE GREAT IN AN ADVERT....
CAN YOU HELP?
NICOLA
What about Stephen Fry ?????????????????????????????????
There isnt enough disabled people represented within the media let alone society. Apparently we are supposed to be an advanced nation- yet we have no idea about the word disability and how BIG it is....
Remember many actors and actresses do have disabilities, but many disabilities are hidden, for example, mental health problems, dyslexia, hearing difficulties (see eg Stephen Fry, Tom Cruise and Stephanie Beacham respectively). People assume disability is always visible but I accept the point trying to be made.
I want to know if the actor Timothy Platt who plays "Leonard" deaf witness in "Life on Mars" series one episode 2, is really hearing impaired or not ?
I think they should have more disabled chacters real life as I myself am disabled with epilepsy and dyspraxia and you never see these disabilties. I act as well
I have a daughter with a learning disablity who recently did a performing arts course. She lasted one year because the level was too high. This is what the government calls equal opportunities. TV, Acting, theatre and radio. These employers should give people with a disability a chance to work as there are millions of jobs available within these sections. Even if they employed a handful it would give soome adults with disability a life, hopes and dreams to share just like anyone else.Disabled people want to be included in acting, singing etc.As my daughter does but without fomal training at 20 she is at home with me doing nothing.Give them a chance.
anyone need an actor? Im disabled an desperate to be on TV! My dream is to appear in Eastenders!
I have been surfing the Internet looking for people with an interest in disability in acting, and came across your site.
I don’t know whether it could be of interest, but I am a published playwright who used to work for a disabled children’s charity and have also co-founded The Playwrights’ Co-operative/New Theatre Publications. We currently have an initiative to write for or adapt our members’ scripts to include (even feature in some cases) roles for (but not necessarily about) disabled actors. We also offer talking scripts and large print scripts (at no extra cost).
Personally, I specifically embarked on (and completed) a thriller called whispers where the central character is wheelchair.
If there is any interest, you could visit my own site www.ianhornby.co.uk or the NTP site of www.plays4theatre.com
Regards
Ian Hornby
hi i have a 17 year old daughter that loves to sing she has been on the maury povich show several times singing but that has not helped her singing carreer only got them top rattings so i have made up my mind to go on a talent search for disabled kids like my daughter & others that has the gift but keep beeing (left out)so if you know any kids, teens,that want to be a true singer we are working on a reality show called (left out) for the disabled singers only email us @ washingtren5@aol.com asap for more info please please dont get (left out) please leave you name # & your disabled info only god can judge us