Breaking Bad star defends playing disabled character

[8ulk87]

Like I said before, I get it when it comes to the main roles. (And obviously it makes sense to hire able-bodied actors if the character gets disabled during the course of the story.)

The problem is that it's hard for an actor with a disability to get to that point where they are considered for roles beyond "The guy in a wheelchair" or "A blind chick". Sure, there's the odd Peter Dinklage or Marlee Matlin. But I'm sure they went through a lot of stereotypical roles to get to the point where they get cast on things like Days of Future Past and West Wing where their characters aren't defined by their dwarfism and deafness respectively.

Of course and thats totally understandable.

But going from this to not allow normal actors to play disabled roles is totally ridiculus and fascist.

Not only any actor should be able to play any role but studios should be able to do their own business decisions how they want.

Plain and simple.

 

[batdude]

The truth is we need more disabled actors. Yes, as a disabled person this bothers me. Look, this movie could have been made with Kevin Hart and an unknown actor. However, If this had to be made with an able bodied actor, it might have been more interesting to have them switch roles and have Kevin Hart play the disabled role. Basically, Cranston is a boring choice and should have known better after Breaking Bad,

 

[Schlosser85]

The truth is we need more disabled actors. Yes, as a disabled person this bothers me. Look, this movie could have been made with Kevin Hart and an unknown actor. However, If this had to be made with an able bodied actor, it might have been more interesting to have them switch roles and have Kevin Hart play the disabled role. Basically, Cranston is a boring choice and should have known better after Breaking Bad,

Why would it have been better to have Hart play the disabled role? And what should Cranston have “known better” about? Knuckling under to a few irrelevant whiners on Twitter?

Also the movie was boring anyway, it didn’t matter who played what.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Would this sorta thing be less problematic if disabled actors were given more work in Hollywood? Or is the contention that abled bodied actors shouldn't play disabled roles ever?

 

[MadVillainy]

Would this sorta thing be less problematic if disabled actors were given more work in Hollywood? Or is the contention that abled bodied actors shouldn't play disabled roles ever?

Most likely I think so yeah. They aren't given many opportunities

I mean I really don't get what is hard for people to grasp about why a handicapped person would be upset in situations like this.
Stop chalking things up to people "whining" on Twitter (it's ironic because the anti-PC/everyone on Twitter whines people have become just as whiny as the people they criticize) and actually read.

Handicapped people barely get a chance in Hollywood. Especially in a leading role like Cranston did in The Upside. All they're saying is: We barely get any roles, so it'd be nice if one of the few good roles for a handicapped person actually went to us" I really really don't get why anyone would have a problem with that thinking.

And all the defenses are just tired
-Do we have to get real astronauts or drug addicts to play them in movies/shows? It's not the same thing and if you don't get why it isn't...I don't know what to tell you.
-It's about getting the best person for the role. I just don't buy this because it seems that for years people have used this excuse just to cast white guys in a majority of roles. And in this case of The Upside, from what I can tell it's not like they were auditioning a gang of abled bodied and disabled actors and Cranston got the role. This is not like Michael Clarke Duncan and Daredevil when they were auditioning bunches of actors and he happened to be the best.
-Hollywood is a business and it's about marketability. Marketability really helped stuff like Ghost in the Shell, Aloha, The Great Wall, and Dragonball Evolution turn a profit. That's the excuse everyone gave for why those movies were cast the way they were.

Again, I don't really care about able bodied actors playing handicapped roles necessarily. But I can see why a handicapped actor would be upset by this. What I don't see is how anyone be mad at or say that a handicapped person is whining if they bring this up. Whether you agree with them or not, this clearly isn't just whining and actually is a fair point

 

[batdude]

Why would it have been better to have Hart play the disabled role? And what should Cranston have “known better” about? Knuckling under to a few irrelevant whiners on Twitter?

Also the movie was boring anyway, it didn’t matter who played what.

Because Cranston worked with a disabled actor , RJ Mitte. not just twitter. Kevin Hart, I might get even a lot of disabled people who disagree with me on, but it would at least have been a different take on it than the old or nerdy(think the kid on Glee) that you normally get.

 

[Lilbaz]

Yeah it is, and there's nothing wrong with acting disabled. All folks are saying is that it's a shame, because there are a lot of people ready, able, and willing to play this role who also have a disability. The movie preaches equality and support for the disabled, yet it turns down an ocean of perfectly good actors for someone who has star power who can put butts in seats.

And that's fine... we shouldn't expect anything else, honestly. Money is money. But it is a shame. That's all.

It's also about investment. If they haven't got a star name to attract investors there's no money to make the film.

Scarlet got scared off the transgender role. I really doubt that film will be made now.

 

[chamber-music]

Acting is about playing people that aren't yourself. Freddie Highmore plays a autistic doctor on the good doctor and I don't hear people complain.

Isn't this film the remake of that French film in which Omar sy had the role Kevin hart has?

Daryl Mitchell is one of the few disabled actors I can name. He was in movies like galaxy quest, house party and ten things I hate about you before being paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.

Since his accident he has had roles prominent roles in ncis new Orleans and fear the walking dead.

Stand up comedian Tim renkow has a bbc sitcom called the jerk. Renkow has cerebral palsy.

Pretty sure the disabled actor in sitcom speechless is really disabled.