The Case Against “Cripping Up”
Should disabled characters only be played by disabled actors?
In the near-century-long history of the Academy Awards, some 60 actors have been nominated for playing a disabled character. But only three actors with a disability have ever taken home an Oscar.
Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t have cerebral palsy, but his portrayal of artist Christy Brown in My Left Foot might have actually convinced some audiences that he really did have a similar disability. The method actor reportedly prepared for the role by learning how to type and paint with his toes, was spoon-fed by crew members while he remained in a wheelchair throughout the production, and spent time getting to know disabled people at an Irish rehabilitation center.
Some critics label this type of performance as “cripping up” - when a non-disabled actor plays a disabled character. Some say it’s the equivalent of wearing blackface.
Disability advocates like Marlee Matlin are calling on Hollywood to increase authentic casting, when a disabled character is portrayed by an actor with the same condition. Organizations like the Ruderman Family Foundation keep track of these kinds of performances.
I ask students in my course on disability in media at Montclair State University to weigh in on this matter. Most agree and point toward actors like Lauren Ridloff, RJ Mitte, and Peter Dinklage as positive examples of authentic representation. The discussion has even caused some students to take a new look at their most beloved characters; namely, Forrest Gump.
I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence. I agree that there’s something about the lived experience of having a disability that only an actor with that condition could deeply understand. But I also feel that a non-disabled actor can go beyond just performing as a caricature if they put in the time to research their character and learn from the disability community. Some productions are even hiring disability trainers, including for cast members in the series See.
There has been some pushback in the entertainment industry toward these calls for more authentic casting. Actor Brian Cox, who played Logan Roy in Succession, told British media that acting is a “piece of craft” and that it’s “wrong” to only hire disabled actors for these parts. Sia, whose movie Music was widely panned for how it depicted autism, has claimed there weren’t enough qualified disabled actors to cast for her production.
I find that last argument hard to believe, but even if there is such a shortage, that probably has more to do with the lack of accessibility and inclusion that starts in high school drama clubs and continues all the way to studio lots.
There are indications that these norms are changing. In a 2021 interview, My Left Foot’s director, Jim Sheridan, said that if he made the film today, he would cast a person with a disability in the lead role.
Where do you stand on “cripping up”? Send me your thoughts by responding to this newsletter.
Here’s an upcoming event that might be of interest to those of you in or around northern New Jersey.
ReelAbilities NJ Film Festival presents: “Who Am I Now?” featuring Heidi Latsky
The event features HLD dancers Nico Gonzales and Henry Holmes, a discussion, and an excerpt from Latsky’s new work TRACKING PARALLEL.
Thursday, October 30 · 5:30 - 6:45pm
Click here for more information and to get your (free) tickets.
I am a theatre director in Sweden. I've started and developed a theatre that today is fully professional based on actors with intellectual disabilities. They're continuously employed full time at market wages, members of the actors guild, trained at the theatre academy and co-produce on equal terms with the finest theatres in our geographical end.
I have always stated that every role could and should be available for all actors. As I see it, the problem of cripping up starts when all actors aren't included in all actors. (read: actors w disability is not included in all actors). And as long as that remains a fact, the critique of normative casting is valid.