Craig Kilborn interviewed Marlee Matlin last night. I think it was a rerun, but I was struck by how gracefully Kilborn handled the interview. Kilborn has a bit of the frat boy air about him, but that wasn’t on display during the interview. I don’t think he even brought up her deafness and he had the courtesy to interview Matlin’s interpreter. Matlin is a beautiful woman and that probably helps in her interactions with the media, but it was still nice to see an actress with a disability being interviewed without condescension or pity. I keep hoping that we’ll see more people with disabilities in the entertainment industry, but I’m not sure people like Matlin will ever be more than the occasional anomaly in Hollywood. I get the impression that most entertainment executives think it’s okay to have an able-bodied actor play someone who has a disability; they still look normal enough to the audience. But what about the real thing? Will audiences accept an actor who slurs their speech or maybe drools once in a while? That kind of stuff may be excused in aging rock stars, but I don’t think people want to see it when they’re watching Law & Order.
A big shout-out to Da Goddess for directing some traffic my way. Always grateful to expand my nano-audience.
You’re more than welcome, my dear. You earned the new audience on your own merits, though. GREAT WRITER!
I didn’t used to like Kilborn exactly because of his frat boy persona and because he took over Tom Snyder’s spot (what a difference THAT was!) ….but then, one day, I realized that he reminded me of someone I knew…AND he had my favorite comedian and one of my favorite singer/guitarists on. Ever since…
Now on actors with disabilities, have you ever heard of James Stacy? You should check him out. His movie “Just A Little Inconvenience” remains one of my all-time favorites!
Oh man. Sorry about the ramble here.
Good points about disabled actors and Hollywood. It’s a point of interest for me, as I work with a community theater that includes all members of the community in its casts, regardless of disability.
The same question can be asked about “overweight” actors. Rosie O’Donnell and Camryn Mannheim are still exceptions to the rule, and even actresses as vivacious as Christina Ricci and Kate Winslet have gotten shit for “putting on too much”. Personally, I’m all for Kate’s attitude on the subject:
“I’m not a stick. I like having a good pair of tits on me and a good ass.”
I have some difficulty watching movies about people with disabilities portrayed by ‘able bodied’ actors. Having a son who is developmentally disabled I can’t bring my self to see “Radio” or “I Am Sam”. These movies tend to create caricatures of the mentally disabled. Though I was impressed by Leo DiCaprio’s work in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”