Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is being shamed by a Paralympian for playing an amputee in his new movie Skyscraper.
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In an open letter to the star, shared by Deadline, actress and four-time U.S. paralympic champion Katy Sullivan congratulates Johnson on the film, and then goes on to ask him to “stop saying ‘Yes’ to roles like the one in” Skyscraper.
Sullivan, who is a “double above-the-knee amputee from birth,” explains that her request is based in the statistic that “individuals with disabilities make up almost 20% of the world’s population.”
“We are the largest minority and the “most marginalized group in Hollywood,” according to a 2017 study conducted by Fox, CBS and the Ruderman Family Foundation (an organization I know you are aware of and engaging with now),” Sullivan adds. “The study found that in last year’s TV season, less than 2% of characters were written to have a disability and of THOSE characters, 95% of the roles were filled with able-bodied actors.”
She does express excitement that a film about “a kicka— veteran and father (who is a unilateral below-the-knee amputee) got greenlit in the first place,” but clarifies that the issue for her is that she feels “this perpetuates the fact that we’re not given the agency to tell our own stories.”
“There seems to be a lack of social outrage for able-bodied actors playing disabled characters,” Sullivan claims. “In fact, they are often celebrated for it, from the Golden Globes to the Oscars, for taking on such ‘difficult material.’ Why wouldn’t an actor want to tackle roles so rich? But it’s that lack of authenticity that continues to make humans with disabilities feel invisible, me included.”
She eventually explains that she has heard the argument that movies need a big name in the lead, but argues that “a performer with a disability will never get to the point of being ‘a name above the line’ unless they are given the opportunity to get on that path in the first place.”
“By casting these roles with people who bring authenticity to them, (i.e., an actual amputee actor) you in turn change the talent pool over time,” Sullivan continues. “Because maybe there’s a kid living with limb loss out there who hasn’t taken an acting class, or gone to an audition before, because of the thought ‘Who’s gonna cast ME?’ If they can see it, they can be it, right? But they have to SEE IT. That’s the difference.”
In closing, Sullivan pleads that “it’s when we all band together to do the right thing for TRUE inclusion and diversity that we start to change not only the landscape of our entertainment, but through that, we change the perception of what individuals with disabilities are capable of doing (in general).”
Johnson does not appear to have commented on the open letter at this time.
