Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer says Hollywood needs to do better casting people with disabilities.
The star of "The Help" and "Hidden Figures" is part of a new video campaign timed with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act this month.
"Casting able-bodied actors in roles for characters with disabilities is offensive, unjust, and deprives an entire community of people from opportunities," she says in the nearly three-minute clip.
Spencer argues that the industry needs to recognize that "nothing can replace lived experience and authentic representation." She also notes how the entertainment industry has been notoriously slow at embracing diversity.
"It's only been a few decades since white actors would portray Black, Asian and even Native American characters on screen," Spencer says. "There is no reason that we should continue to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Together, we should and can do better."
The campaign was launched by the Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston-based organization that advocates for people with disabilities.
The foundation earlier this year issued an open letter to the entertainment industry making a similar plea that was signed by George Clooney, Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Norton, Bryan Cranston, Mark Ruffalo, Glenn Close, Eva Longoria and other prominent names in Hollywood.
Mets’ victory over Brewers in NL Wild Card Series decider was ESPN’s most-watched game in 3 years
The New York Mets' 4-2 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night in the deciding game of the NL Wild Card Series averaged 4,017,000 viewers on ESPN and streaming, making it ESPN's most-watched Major League Baseball game in three years.
ESPN and Nielsen reported Friday that the audience peaked at 5.75 million viewers during the ninth inning, when the Mets rallied from a 2-0 deficit to reach the divisional round for the first time since 2015, when they reached the World Series.
It was the biggest audience for a playoff game on ESPN since the 2021 AL wild-card game, when the Boston Red Sox's win over the New York Yankees averaged 7.7 million.
This year's nine MLB Wild Card Series games averaged 2.82 million on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, a 25% increase over last year and a 1% gain from 2022.
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