Recently, in the film and television industry, there has been a growing conversation about representation, specifically focusing on helping to support and showcase the stories from marginalised groups in society. Within this, there is another important debate about whether it is important that characters who are written as autistic are played by autistic actors. This debate was brought forward, as for many years, autistic characters have been cast to neurotypical performers without careful consideration about the ethical implications and effects that this would have to audience members. Some of these implications and effects are, inaccurate portrayals of the autistic experience, indirectly enforcing harmful stereotypes to the audience and directors and casting agency’s not helping diversify the film industry through breaking down barriers for autistic actors.
Authentic portrayals of the autistic experience.
The National Autistic Society describes autism as ‘a spectrum condition and affects people in different way’ whether that is through social communication and social interaction challenges, repetitive/restricted behaviours, sensory difficulties, special interests, anxiety and autistic meltdowns. As no two autistic people will have the same experiences as one another, autistic actors are able to bring authenticity and added depth to the role that nonautistic actors may struggle with as they have no lived experience. Within the film industry, this also allows the representation of autism to be less superficial and can instead highlight just how unique each person with autism is.
Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, highlighted in ‘a guide for casting and working with autistic actors’ that “Incredible talent lies in autistic artists for they see the world through a looking glass that nobody else has access to and because this is a spectrum disorder — every perspective of every person is different meaning there is so much on offer.” Further promoting the idea that an individual on the autism spectrum can provide a deeper and richer performance when playing an autistic character in comparison to a neurotypical person.
Challenging negative stereotypes within the film industry
Despite it being good that there has been an emergence of new characters within the film and tv industry that have autism, a significant portion has been critiqued by autistic audiences who have felt that the portrayals have enforced negative stereotypes. There are a growing number of depictions of autism that whittles down the autistic experience to being just socially awkward, nerdy, savant and emotionless, where in reality, the autistic experience is complex and differentiates from person to person. Just because you are autistic does not mean you are going to be a successful physicist or mathematician. ‘Atypical’ was a hit Netflix tv show which focuses on the experiences of an autistic boy through high school, however the show has also had concerns over the neurotypical actor playing to autistic stereotypes. “The primary concerns identified were the stereotypical representation of a popular media image of autism, the lack of diversity, and the depiction of autism as a burden or challenge for the protagonist and his family.” (Jones S, et al. 2023). This ongoing pattern of portraying autism within these stereotypes can negatively impact the way that neurotypical audiences view people with autism, through a lack of education about the different ways that autism can present itself in people.
Diversity within the film industry
Acting is known to be a very difficult career to make a living out of as it is highly competitive and there is no way to ensure employment within the industry. This can be made especially difficult for individuals on the autistic spectrum who do not fit the cookie cutter mould of an actor. However, if autistic people can have the opportunity to play autistic characters, it not only allows the actor to have a breakthrough role within the industry, but it also can help the character portrayal feel more authentic.
References
Equity. (n.d.). Casting and working with autistic artists. [online] Available at: https://www.equity.org.uk/advice-and-support/casting-and-auditions/casting-and-working-with-autistic-artists.
Jones, S.C., Trott, E., Gordon, C. and Milne, L. (2022). Perception of the Portrayal of Autism in Netflix’s Atypical Within the Autism Community. Autism in Adulthood, 5(1). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0013.
National Autistic Society (2024). What Is Autism? [online] Autism.org.uk. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism.