In this blog, Leo Capella reflects on autistic representation in film and TV, following the controversy last week around Sia’s upcoming film, Music, and offers some tips for people working in the industry. Leo is autistic and works as a job coach for the National Autistic Society, and has previously worked as a script consultant and trained TV production teams for the charity.

Well, well, well. 

What an avoidable and unfortunate situation we have here. Again.

Another film or production about autistic people, facing another howl of fury from communities who are scared about being misrepresented at a time when they really shouldn’t be. And as someone who’s reviewed scripts, as well as provided feedback both as volunteer and in a professional capacity, I should know.

At the National Autistic Society, we understand the importance of good, accurate representation. I’m not a commissar compelling writers, directors and actors to create propaganda about the joys of autism. I’m someone who warns about clear dangers in taking a certain approach, giving advice on how to avoid them. Sometimes I even encourage people along the lines of “You’re onto something, come on, go further!” to create as realistic a picture of autistic people and their families as possible. Stereotypes and myths can be avoided and not just the obvious ones, like ‘all autistic people are interested in IT’, when our interests are more widely and creatively spread. 

Now where do I start with Music?

Firstly, to Maddie Ziegler, who plays the titular Music in the film, I feel a great deal of sympathy for you. Just as I do for other actors and crew who find themselves stunned by the sheer force of the ruck that they’ve inadvertently stumbled into because of the ‘good intentions’ of producers. 

Sia, I know you said you tried working with a non-verbal autistic girl but that she found it “unpleasant and stressful”. I obviously don’t know the full details of what happened in this instance or the wider casting process but I’ve met non-verbal autistic people who would have deserved the chance to act in Music. In fact, as I bashed out the initial draft for this post, I remembered and felt sad about Gabriel Hardisty Miller a departed non-verbal autistic person with multiple health conditions, who I knew, maybe not as much as some of my friends did, but who I really respected.  

If you ever met Gabriel, he would have given you a lot of binary calculations to think about (he used a keypad that only had “yes” and “no” on it). But my word, his binary calculations were something to behold, especially where music was concerned. In fact, despite your perhaps differing music tastes you might have got on with each other extremely well, after all the man hosted a club night in Shoreditch (London), he loved music and flourished in that space. Someone like Gabriel would have brought all the joy you sought to bring to Music whilst giving you, and the audience, a true and personal representation of life as a non-verbal autistic adult. So, it’s a great shame that you lacked the vision to choose someone like him to play the part of Music. 

Constraints

There will be understandable exceptions to autistic actors playing autistic parts. For instance, in the BBC drama series The A Word the writer Peter Bowker, who worked in special education before going into television, decided to cast non-autistic actor Max Vento to play five-year-old Joe Hughes because it would have been too challenging for an autistic child of the same age to take on the role. That was fair enough in the circumstances. Hypothetically, if the series continues and we are introduced to teenage Joe, that would raise the question of whether an autistic actor should take over. However, Max is doing a fantastic job and, as things stand, I hope that he keeps going.  

More widely in terms of representation of disabled people and, if my memory serves me correctly, Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking in the Theory of Everything, actually had the blessing of the good professor himself. Redmayne was also portraying a man pre and post the onset of MND. So, I recognise that there are shades of grey, and constraints, including financial ones, that can mean that without a high-profile actor in the lead role it’s unlikely that a big budget film or TV drama can be made. 

But the old traditional reasons for not choosing autistic actors to play autistic characters are no longer acceptable. Autistic actors should always be given a shot at playing someone who represents them, they should also know those roles are available and they should, where possible, be given the chance to progress in a creative environment that suits them.

Top tips

I’ve been a script consultant for the National Autistic Society and trained TV production teams and I hope the work we do to help improve dramatic representations – whether that’s in soaps like Hollyoaks and EastEnders or in films like Calm with Horses – is beginning to bring about change. But, clearly, there is still far more to be done.

So, to any creatives, writers, producers or directors I would say consult autistic people as early as you can. Listen to and act upon what they tell you and please, in your productions, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, create and promote opportunities for the many different talented autistic people there are in the world.  

If you can’t do that with the production you’re working on, then you’ve got a debt to repay in the future, which you should be prepared to settle. This could be working alongside autistic people and improving opportunities for autistic creatives in your industry, helping us break into an industry which still leaves us out.  

As an actor, whatever autistic story you're telling, you are NOT just performing a role. Instead, you are committing to the equivalent of: Pulling on a jersey and running out on to one of the toughest pitches, In one of the toughest arenas, in society. Once your role finishes you will be called upon to help autistic people in the future, including speaking out in support of them. That’s the trade off and if you understand that, then I welcome you personally as an ally. 

To all those who’ve been an ally in the past and are in the process of doing so, I say domo arigato, thank you so much. You are not just fulfilling your responsibility to the various autism communities, you are contributing to a vastly improved public discussion about autism. You are fulfilling your democratic responsibilities as citizens by addressing the way we discuss issues at the highest level. That there are an increasing number of you prepared to do so bodes well, not just for autistic people but for wider representation too.  

After all, for better or worse, some films and productions don’t last the test of time, particularly ones that lack depth and complexity, however ‘good’ the producer’s intentions might have been. 

Thanks for reading. 

In memory and in honour of Gabriel Hardisty Miller.

*Blog updated on 25.01.21