Vanessa Burghardt is one of the primary actors in Apple TV’s featured film Cha Cha Real Smooth. Disability advocacy group RespectAbility served as a consulting resource for the production team.
Hollywood has had a long and complicated history when it comes to representing autism on the big screen. Oftentimes, autistic characters are played by neurotypical actors, which can lead to harmful and inaccurate portrayal of the condition. In recent years, however, there has been a push for more accurate and respectful representation of autism in Hollywood.
One of the most prominent examples of this is the 2017 film “The Accountant”, starring Ben Affleck. The film’s main character, Christian Wolff, is a high-functioning autistic man who works as an accountant for criminal organizations. The role was originally written with a neurotypical actor in mind, but after meeting with autistic activists and consultants, the filmmakers decided to cast Affleck instead.
This decision was praised by many in the autistic community, as it gave a much more accurate and nuanced portrayal of autism than what is typically seen in Hollywood. “The Accountant” is just one example of how Hollywood is slowly but surely becoming more inclusive and representative of autism and other neurological conditions.
As the understanding and awareness of autism continues to grow, it’s likely that we’ll see even more accurate and respectful portrayals of the condition in Hollywood. This is a positive trend that should be celebrated, as it helps to break down the stigma and misunderstanding around autism.
Autism and stereotypes in movies have been a controversial topic for many years. Some feel that Hollywood portrays autistic individuals in a negative light, while others feel that the media is slowly but surely changing the way they depict autism.
One of the most well-known examples of an autistic character in a movie is “Rain Man”, which came out in 1988. The main character, Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, is a man with autism who is also a savant. While the movie was groundbreaking in its day, some feel that it perpetuated the stereotype that all autistic people are savants.
However, there are still some stereotypes that persist in movies about autism. One is that autistic people are always male. While the majority of people with autism are male, there are also many females with autism, who are often left out of the conversation.
Finally, there is the stereotype that autistic people are always children. In reality, autism is a lifelong condition, and there are many people with autism who are of retirement age or older.
Despite the stereotypes that still exist, it seems that Hollywood is slowly but surely changing the way they depict autism. This is a positive trend, as it helps to break down barriers and provide a more accurate portrayal of what autism really is.