Over 70 Deaf actors and artists protest “The Stand” casting hearing actor for deaf role
The Daily Moth (Renca Dunn):
There has been a long time struggle with Hollywood’s efforts of inclusivity and proper representation. There have been many instances of a hearing actor cast in a deaf role, and the latest example sprang up in a miniseries called “The Stand,” which is now available on CBS All Access.
A collective of deaf actors and writers wrote an open letter with the hashtag #StandAgainstTheStand. It has over 70 signatures from deaf actors, writers, producers, filmmakers, and etc. such as Joshua Feldman, Natasha Ofili, and Lauren Ridloff.
[Instagram posts from @DeafArtistsCollaborative]
“The Stand” miniseries is based on a novel by Stephen King about an apocalyptic world taken over by a plague and the struggle between good and evil. This miniseries includes some well known actors such as James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jovan Adepo. There is a deaf and signing character in this story, Nick Andros. A hearing actor, Henry Zaga, was cast for this role.
[Photo of Henry Zaga]
The open letter said not even one Deaf professional actor was called in to audition for this role and that role should have been given to an actual Deaf person.
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The Hollywood Reporter published an article on this and they said that they reached out to CBS All Access to ask them for a comment. CBS All Access responded that they are meeting with deaf artists about this letter.
Hollywood Reporter also mentioned that Nyle DiMarco did speak up against the casting choice back in 2019 and contacted the co-creator of that miniseries, but DiMarco was ignored.
Jade Bryan, a Black Deaf filmmaker, who also was one of the 70 who signed the open letter, tweeted:
[Tweet from @DeafShowRunner: “As a Black Deaf filmmaker/TV Creator, advocate of diversity & inclusion, acting instructor, & creator/owner of #Deaftalent campaign, I believe in change. It shouldn’t be that difficult to cast the right person for the role.”]
Neil Sprouse, Vice Chair of the California Association of the Deaf (CAD)’s media team, sent us a video explaining the frustration of lack of proper representation in Hollywood for Deaf people.
Neil Sprouse:
We on the committee have always strongly believed that deaf roles should be given to Deaf actors. As we mentioned to “The Daily Moth” in August 2019, we had a discussion with CBS at the time they made the casting announcement. Clearly, we know that we did not have a successful outcome, and we are disappointed. However, we are at the same time inspired to see the Deaf community taking action.
The Daily Moth (Renca Dunn):
The open letter said that “enough is enough” and the signatories vowed to not watch “The Stand.” Here is an excerpt of their letter:
“We will not endorse, watch, or support your miniseries on CBS All Access. We will share our displeasure of the casting decision and airing of the miniseries on CBS All Access with our Deaf community, signing community, friends, and family of Deaf individuals; together we make up 466 million worldwide.”
The open letter also said that Deaf roles belong to Deaf people. This movement #StandAgainstTheStand was made by the Deaf Artists Collaborative, which is led by Deaf actors Joey Caverly, Dickie Hearts, Jackie Roth, and Andrew Morrill.
https://www.instagram.com/deafartistscollaborative/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/deaf-community-members-protest-hearing-actor-playing-deaf-character-on-the-stand-enough-is-enough