Sia defends her decision to cast Maddie as an autistic teen in movie Music

[KennyRichie 1,996]

1 hour ago, TSUNAMI said:

I was really ashamed when I saw her acting to be honest. 

I have a cousin with a Down syndrome that wouldn't be able to act and has huge life issues which made me ignorant and I always thought of them as incapable. 

They are capable. 

They are smart. 

They are good. 

They can love. 

 

I'm glad she changed my perspective. 

This. If this happened to you, it happened to others, and that’s the whole point. To change perspective to something positive.

[pussycat 3,514]

I think she totally could have casted someone with autism for the role. But it's 100% her choice if she wants to or not. Film is about telling stories. There are no rules. Insisting she should have casted someone with autism is maybe based on your personal believes, or morals. And I truly think those believes and morals of representation and inclusitivity are wonderful. I value them too- my 2 siblings are autistic. But I don't think that should interfere with the creative proces of film making. Did Eddie Redmayne actually have ALS portraying Hawking? No. Were the girls in Girl, interrupted actually mentally unstable? No. Was Lara in Girl actually transgender? No. They were acting

[PawsUpJago 1,956]

3 hours ago, 4BLAiNE said:

As an actor myself - it is a very dangerous situation to start to insist that the only way a role can be considered ‘true to’ or ‘respectful’ to a condition / situation / sexuality, is for that role to be played by someone with said condition. 
 

The entire essence of performance is to tell stories of those we may not ‘be’ - but those we respect enough to research and portray in a way that is as true to representation as possible. I became an actor for that exact reason - because I wanted to be enlightened and informed by learning about people different to me - to make me less ignorant to their circumstances.
 

I think people need to watch this film before making any accusation of misrepresentation. By all means, criticise the portrayal if it isn’t accurate / respectful, but I feel this outrage is unfounded at this point.

As an actor myself also, thank you for saying this, I understand people's grievances in some areas regarding this but it's becoming so OTT now

[js4754394o9823 6,882]

I didn't liked her before, because she's friends with Kardashians

But now... 

She's cancelled to me

[President Biden 5,898]

4 hours ago, Adarsh said:

I know Ryan Murphy is not the perfect filmmaker when it comes to diversity but this instance made me appreciate him for casting Jamie Brewer, an actual actor with Down Syndrome to play a character with that condition in the first season of AHS. And she was absolutely amazing in that role. Just wanted to put it out there.
 

And he did the same in Glee

[LilMonst3r 5,544]

4 hours ago, Adarsh said:

I know Ryan Murphy is not the perfect filmmaker when it comes to diversity but this instance made me appreciate him for casting Jamie Brewer, an actual actor with Down Syndrome to play a character with that condition in the first season of AHS. And she was absolutely amazing in that role. Just wanted to put it out there.
 

 

Wait he hasnt done enough to be diversive with his actors? 

[rasclautmangos 2,746]

Sia's dependence on Maddie is.....different

[LilMonst3r 5,544]

4 hours ago, LG6IsHere said:

I agree with her. I think this whole thing is SO stupid and senseless. She even said she tried to work with somebody who was on the character's level of functionality and they found it distressing. 

I totally can see that happening. Like it most likely be 10x more difficult to get the project done. Like imagine an autistic having to learn choreography on top of lines sounds like a nightmare for both director and actor. 

[Chromatography 10,186]

of course she’s going to cast her godchild who has starred as a dancer in her music videos since what, 2013? no one should be shocked by this move. the way she handled it on twitter was questionable, yes, but i don’t like this mindset that people must be something to play that role (other than race ofc). but why should a gay person be denied a straight role? that’s what yall are saying 

[Guest Adarsh]

12 minutes ago, myluis617 said:

 

Wait he hasnt done enough to be diversive with his actors? 

I said that because people always accuse him of hiring white boys that look the same. I feel he has a comparatively diverse cast but I didn’t want to offend anyone. 

[ALGAYDO 32,753]

4 hours ago, 4BLAiNE said:

As an actor myself - it is a very dangerous situation to start to insist that the only way a role can be considered ‘true to’ or ‘respectful’ to a condition / situation / sexuality, is for that role to be played by someone with said condition. 
 

The entire essence of performance is to tell stories of those we may not ‘be’ - but those we respect enough to research and portray in a way that is as true to representation as possible. I became an actor for that exact reason - because I wanted to be enlightened and informed by learning about people different to me - to make me less ignorant to their circumstances.
 

I think people need to watch this film before making any accusation of misrepresentation. By all means, criticise the portrayal if it isn’t accurate / respectful, but I feel this outrage is unfounded at this point.

 

48 minutes ago, PawsUpJago said:

As an actor myself also, thank you for saying this, I understand people's grievances in some areas regarding this but it's becoming so OTT now

I’m curious as to what your opinions are on white actors portraying POC. Like when they hire a Caucasian to play an Egyptian, or like when Scarlet Johansson played an Asian character. 

[CCSir 400]

4 hours ago, Taylucifer said:

she has handled this whole thing terribly and I'm embarrassed for her

This. It could not have been more of a trainwreck.

Her comments show real disregard for many actors in the autistic community who have great acting potential. The thing is, she's not just making a statement about whether or not it was okay for her to hire Maddie in this movie specifically, she's almost pushing the horrendous idea that disabled actors are incapable of being involved in big productions. 

[Ziggy 11,905]

4 hours ago, 4BLAiNE said:

As an actor myself - it is a very dangerous situation to start to insist that the only way a role can be considered ‘true to’ or ‘respectful’ to a condition / situation / sexuality, is for that role to be played by someone with said condition. 
 

The entire essence of performance is to tell stories of those we may not ‘be’ - but those we respect enough to research and portray in a way that is as true to representation as possible. I became an actor for that exact reason - because I wanted to be enlightened and informed by learning about people different to me - to make me less ignorant to their circumstances.
 

I think people need to watch this film before making any accusation of misrepresentation. By all means, criticise the portrayal if it isn’t accurate / respectful, but I feel this outrage is unfounded at this point.

It doesn’t have to do with ability. It has to do with equity in the industry. Idk why *that* part is so hard to grasp. Sure, some folks say that it’s about ability but the truly worthwhile reason that this is a conversation is because of equity for actors of non-preferred backgrounds. Trans actors don’t get cast as straight and now not as trans either? Where does that leave them? It’s that principle. It’s the fact that all of these folks can’t get a foot in the door because they can’t “normal pass” (cis, white, etc.) enough to do so but then these folks will go the extra mile to accommodate “normal” people to play these diverse roles. *That* is the problem, not whether or not someone is a good actor or not, though I would also say there is a question of exploitation that everyone (actors, writers, directors, etc.) need to address when they choose to create their stories and characters. Does you representing them actually serve them? Or does it serve yourself? If you’re saying you do this to understand other folk better, what does this do for them or is it just for you? I don’t want to sound like I’m calling you out, I really am not. I think these are valid questions, though, if you are going to say that there is this streak of altruism to your craft. There are layers to claims like that that need to be considered. Are these folks you say you want to help more helped by you taking a role closer to their life or are they more helped by you advocating for them to have equal standing in Hollywood and beyond? Can both exist?

Instead of getting defensive and assuming this is an attack on your skill (centering yourself), I think it’s more worthwhile for us to ask what are the implications of our actions compared to what our intentions are

[Guest]

Leonardo Dicaprio played someone with OCD, shoudl it have been an actor suffering from OCD? As someone suffering from the illness, I really don't care about these details it's about the work of art and how it's done respectfully

[Cameltoe Chariot 15,249]

I feel like most of the reaction to this is so... base level.

Having watched the trailer it's obvious most of the movie is a huge musical where you see the world through the character's eyes. This involves intense choreo, the kind that Maddie has done in all of Sia's videos. This was a very demanding role and wasn't just delivering lines. So let's make that clear.

Second, people have got to realize that this is more than just only autistic people playing autistic people or trans people playing trans people in film and television - it's about creating and promoting EQUAL OPPORTUNITY for everyone. We should be demanding jobs in the industry for all people, in writing roles, production roles, casting, craft services, lighting - we're always freaking out about the lead acting role but not everyone is trying to get an Oscar, Mary.

Sia could've and should've handled this better - but the mob that tackled her is no better. I'm still side-eyeing that woman on twitter who claimed that as an autistic woman she was ready and willing to take the role if Sia had offered it - judging by her social media she's not an athletic dancer so not sure why she felt entitled to the role. Sia's clapback was rude but honestly justified considering the level of entitlement that woman showed in her tweets.

And my final thought: where do we draw the line at what's appropriate for an autistic actor? There is a huge difference between someone who is autistic and is non-verbal versus verbal. Is it fair for a verbal autistic person to take a non-verbal role?