Nope (2022): Disability Representation & Ableism (Part 2) [CC] [AD]

[@spaceshipsongs]

One thing that I didn't think critically until just now is the fact that the actor who plays Mary Jo is not disabled or disfigured. Of course, the disability community strongly advocates for the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us" and rightly so. Ideally, disabled characters should be played by disabled actors to ensure authentic representation. But in instances like this that show a transformation over time, it just makes sense to have this be achieved by makeup, prosthetics, etc.. And I don't think she was really made up to scare us, per se, like a monster or creature, but rather to show that she was an unfortunate victim of a system, in this case Hollywood and its improper animal wrangling of Gordy. So this situation makes me think about how movies sometimes require able-bodied actors portraying disabled characters when it's called for and appropriate. It's not as simple as always using disabled actors in that instance, especially when the story shows someone's life before and after. Just thinking out loud!

[@ThisAbilityClinic]

These are very good points. I was curious too and looked up the actress who plays Mary Jo and indeed she doesn't seem to identify as disabled. It is great that we're seeing an increasing amount of authentic representation in media, but I wonder if we'll EVER get to the point where EVERY character with a disability is authentically portrayed. You're making me think of the recent HBO series "The Penguin," where Colin Farrell portrays Oz Cobb, who is disfigured and disabled (walks with a limp anda brace). The make up and prosthetics and body acting that went into his performance are wildly impressive, and many people will be surprised if this show doesn't win multiple Emmy's. While Colin himself doesn't seem to identify as disabled, he does have a son who has Angelman syndrome and arguably has more insight into the lived experience of disability through being a parent of a disabled child than the average actor in Hollywood. This may be a good example of the best of both worlds: extremely impressive acting where an actor totally transforms himself into a very different character, plus an actor who has some authentic lived experience to respectfully portray disability. Maybe we should break down Colin's potrayal of disability on the channel next! 🤟🏼

[@ThisAbilityClinic]

What did YOU think of the disability representation in NOPE? Comment below!