Good Representation of Disability... Under the Circumstances

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2018)

The 2014 film The Theory of Everything, based on Jane Hawking's memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, depicts the life of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne). The film does not just focus on Hawking's progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that causes him to be in a wheelchair and speak through a computer system. It shows his relationship with his ex-wife, Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), and his successes in physics. ALS is fittingly shown as just one part of Hawking's extraordinary life.
The movie has received criticism for casting Redmayne as Hawking and being "the latest" performance "in a long line of what detractors call 'cripping up': able-bodied actors taking on disabled roles, which some critics find as deplorable as the thankfully outdated practice of white actors pretending to be black". I too would be critical of this casting decision were it not for the special circumstances of this film.
The film is meant to reflect Jane Hawking's memoir, a story that shows Hawking's life before and after his diagnosis and through every stage of his ALS's progression. This situation is not identical to a character who is always seen in a wheelchair being played by a nondisabled actor or a character who is born blind being played by a seeing actor. When the circumstances prevent the role of a disabled character from being filled by a disabled actor, there are certain steps that must be taken to ensure that the experiences of disabled people are as accurately portrayed as possible. The Theory of Everything does a very good job of fulfilling this criteria.
First of all, Redmayne spent over four months studying Hawking's life, watching every video he could find on him and reading books written by him. Redmayne worked with a choreographer to record and analyze every movement from picking up a pen to drinking to walking. To understand and accurately portray how the disease affected Hawking throughout the different stages, Redmayne met with over 30 people affected by ALS and viewed photographs of Hawking throughout his life.
Most importantly, Hawking was consulted during every stage of the movie's production. Redmayne met with him before starting to film, and he visited the set during production. Before the movie was released, Hawking viewed the film and gave his approval. Redmayne's hard work paid off, as Hawking called the film "broadly true" and that there were "certain points when he thought he was watching himself". After the screening, "Hawking was so pleased with the movie" that he let the filmmakers use his own, trademarked computerized voice.
In instances when disabled characters cannot be played by disabled actors, it is crucial that people affected by that specific disability are included in the process and that their concerns are listened to. Since everyone's experiences are different, multiple people must be consulted. The experiences of disabled people must not be misrepresented, and the reinforcement of stereotypes must be avoided. The motto of the disability rights movement, "Nothing about us without us", applies to media representations as well.
When portraying disability, care must be taken to ensure accurate representation and people within the disability community must be included in the process.