Pop singer Sia is responding to the backlash to her upcoming film that has been criticized for casting a nondisabled actor to portray a character who has autism. And she’s furious.
The film’s cast includes Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. and 18-year-old “Dance Moms” star Maddie Ziegler, who has often worked with the singer in several music videos. Ziegler, a nondisabled actor, portrays a teen with autism who conveys her feelings to the outside world through a tablet. The character is based on the artist’s neuroatypical friend who found it stressful to be nonverbal, Sia said. Several fans and activists in the autistic community found the casting to be offensive and misrepresentative. Many questioned the depiction of Ziegler’s character, arguing that an autistic actor should have been cast in the role and that disabled people should be hired to tell their stories.
