And Now a Word from the FuckAbility™ Research Council on “The Upside”: For Your Condescension

/ Ingrid Tischer

A photo of a janky wheelchair overlaid with: FOR YOUR CONDESCENION, When it comes to the 2019 Palme d'Visage Award for "Most Half-Assed Casting in a Film Depicting a Disabled Character," the Choice is Clear....THE WHEELCHAIR in The Upside © 2019 talesfromthecrip.org

Going to see The Upside?

Don’t miss an opportunity to share your feelings about the film’s bold casting decisions. #CastBoldly

Print the graphic above and hand it out at the theater!

Sample messages for sharing your excitement:

Access icon in blue and white“I haven’t seen such bold half-assed casting like this since last year’s Palme d’Visage winner gave us A Pair of Raybans as the lead in Blind: Based on a Mall Store Called The Sun-Glass Hut by The Food Court.”

Access icon in blue and white“Do you think Streep could do what The Wheelchair did: Cradle Cranston’s ass while wordlessly conveying every stereotypical cliche about living with a disability? I scoff at that!”

Access icon in blue and white“Matt Damon said it was okay!”

See you in beautiful downtown Switzerland in March for the Palme d’Visage Awards!

FuckAbility™ Research Council (FARC) is a piece of letterhead housed on the Tales From the Crip website. FARC’s mission is to raise awareness of hollywood’s lack of awareness that many disabled adults fuck in groups of one or more. All views expressed are subject to change and denial.

6 thoughts on “And Now a Word from the FuckAbility™ Research Council on “The Upside”: For Your Condescension”

  2. The One Where Lulabelle Shares an Unpopular Opinion: Honestly in this specific instance, casting a disabled actor would have made zero sense as Cranston’s character was injured in an accident and that is how he winds up in a chair. I’ve also heard that the movie, as I suspected, made use of flashbacks pre accident, so it shows him out of the chair.

    I am all for more representation by the disabled community on the big and small screen. I hope there is more in the not too distant future, but being critical of every movie that makes this choice without researching the why of the decision, in my opinion, seems shortsighted.

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    Reply

    • At some point, change has to actually occur and I’d say that when only 2% of roles are disabled characters and 95% of those roles go to non disabled actors – now including Bryan Cranston — we’re well past that point.

      I do ask, though: Why, if actors act, is it a given a talented non disabled actor can play a disabled character but a talented disabled actor can’t play a non disabled role, or one where the character can be either?

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