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LOS ANGELES – The glee club members twirl their wheelchairs to “Proud Mary” and in joyful solidarity with Artie, the fellow performer who uses his chair even when the music stops.
The scene in tonight’s episode of the hit Fox series “Glee,” which regularly celebrates diversity and the underdog, is yet another uplifting moment – except to those in the entertainment industry with disabilities and their advocates.
For them, the casting of a non-disabled actor to play the paraplegic high school student is another blown chance to hire a performer who truly fits the role.
“I think there’s a fear of litigation, that a person with disabilities might slow a production down, fear that viewers might be uncomfortable,” said Robert David Hall, of CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” All of that is nonsense, said Hall: “I’ve made my living as an actor for 30 years and I walk on two artificial legs.”
Hall, 61, chairman of a committee for performers with disabilities, is among a small band of actors with disabilities, including Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, star of Fox’s “Brothers”; RJ Mitte of AMC’s “Breaking Bad”; and ABC’s “Private Practice” newcomer Michael Patrick Thornton.
Mitchell, 44, whose credits included “Veronica’s Closet” before he was hurt in a motorcycle accident and “Ed” after he began using a wheelchair, is also a producer on the Sunday sitcom. For Mitchell, “Brothers” represents “a movement” that deserves support from the industry.
“This is what my life is,” he said. “I want to hold the networks accountable. If I can come out and do what I’m doing, they can come to the table.”
It’s not just TV that falls short of what Mitchell and others seek, including auditioning those with disabilities for roles in which it is irrelevant.
In films, Daniel Day-Lewis received an Oscar for his portrayal of a man with cerebral palsy in “My Left Foot” and Tom Cruise was nominated for playing a paralyzed Vietnam veteran in “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Television, however, consumes hours of our leisure time and has the daily power to reshape attitudes.
That was the intent in assembling the cast of “Glee,” said executive producer Brad Falchuk, along with getting the best performers possible.
“We brought in anyone: white, black, Asian, in a wheelchair,” he said. “It was very hard to find people who could really sing, really act, and have that charisma you need on TV.”
He understands the frustration expressed by those with disabilities, he said. But Kevin McHale, 21, who plays Artie, excels as an actor and singer and “it’s hard to say no to someone that talented,” Falchuk said.
While TV has grown more inclusive of ethnic and gay characters, those with disabilities represent a sizable minority that hasn’t fared as well.
About one-fifth of Americans ages 5 to 64 have a physical or mental disability – more than 50 million, according to U.S. Census figures. But fewer than 2 percent of TV characters reflect that reality, according to a 2005 study.
And it’s not a small playing field: There are more than 600 characters on the scripted comedies and dramas airing on the five major networks in a typical season.
More than a third of performers with disabilities reported facing discrimination, either being refused an audition or not being cast for a role because of their disability, the study found.
The cause has union support: A campaign sponsored by three major entertainment guilds and aimed at creating equal employment opportunities for actors, broadcasters and recording artists just marked its first year.
