Kate Hudson responded to the reaction against her new film Song for casting a neurotypical actor as a character with autism. “We are listening,” she told Jimmy Kimmel on Friday.
Since its launch on February 10, Song has been the target of intense criticism due to the controversial portrayal of autism in the film. Singer and songwriter Sia, who wrote and directed Song, was criticized for its decision to launch Dance Moms stars Maddie Ziegler, a neurotypical actor, as a non-verbal teenager with autism. Many feel that an actress on the autism spectrum should have been hired instead of Ziegler, calling the person capable of making decisions.
According to CNN, Sia defended her creative decision (in tweets now excluded), explaining: “I really tried to work with a beautiful non-verbal young woman on the spectrum and she found it unpleasant and stressful. That’s why I chose Maddie” and asked fans to watch the movie before judging it. She also tweeted that she hired “thirteen neuroatypical people and three trans people” for non-stereotyped roles.
In response to complaints that a scene shows Ziegler restricted to a dangerous degree, Sia apologized for People, and promised to place a disclaimer on the film. And she admitted that her research “was clearly not complete enough, it was not broad enough”. Although these tweets appear to have been deleted as well.
On Jimmy Kimmel Live!Hudson, 41, recognized the need for accurate descriptions of autism. “I think when people see the film, they will see the amount of love and sensitivity that has been put into it,” she said. “But it is an important conversation to have, not just about this film, but as a whole – about representation. For me, when I hear that there is someone who feels left out, I feel terrible.”
Hudson, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of music’s half-sister and caretaker, “Zu” in the film, told Kimmel that “there is an important ongoing dialogue about neureotypical actors portraying neurodivergent characters” with experts. She added, “We are listening.”
“The spectrum is very broad and should be approached with much more talk and understanding of how we can be more representative, what are the best ways to do this,” said Hudson. “… We want to tell the best stories we can. Nobody wants to bother anyone … it is our job to listen and encourage more conversations with other people who want to tell these stories.”
Song currently holds a 10% approval rating among critics of Rotten Tomatoes and a petition to revoke the film’s Golden Globe nominations has received more than 101,000 signatures on Change.org.
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