Sia snaps at autistic actor who questioned why no autistic people were included in her new film

[FullyDattAndDatt3full]

1 hour ago, Britney-fan12332143 said:

@Jordan Miller please look into this comment

i am sorry for the comment, but this is my life experience

i have seen time again and again autists who feel entitled, narcisstic and arrogant

sorry for my poor experience

my apologizes <3

[Bigno]

This is getting ridiculous. Acting will no longer exist and we will just have people playing themselves. C'mon. 

I also think she really didn't handle it well

[girl_bye]

ok so after research tjey did audition ppl on the spectrum so the fake outrage can stop now

sias relationship w maddie is still creepy but thats a whole other debate

also the movie has reportedly links w autism speaks and therefore can burn in hell

[The Exhale Psychic]

26 minutes ago, QZeusLiquorQ said:

i am sorry for the comment, but this is my life experience

i have seen time again and again autists who feel entitled, narcisstic and arrogant

sorry for my poor experience

my apologizes <3

that is just so wrong to say on so many levels. just no

[The Exhale Psychic]

so does that mean i am arrogant, just because im autistic. that is such a general view

[redacted statement]

14 hours ago, A.a.A said:

I have been working with autistic kids for over 5 years now. And I can tell you for a fact there are ones who act exactly like this in the trailer.

It's a spectrum, therefore there isn't "one" way to act. Clearly they are focusing on someone at the more disabled end of the spectrum. But there are people who are more towards the middle and don't show many autistic behaviours/mannerisms.

But to the point of the topic, to be honest, if you're making a movie, you want someone that can act. That is literally the job of an actor.

I agree with this as well.  The only obviously autistic person I've ever interacted with used to behave like this to an even more severe degree (he wouldn't really talk much, and he would often make all kinds of noises and throw temper tantrums), whereas now he's a perfectly functioning human you can hold conversations with. Is he still a bit unusual? Yes, but that's not a bad thing. Point is, not only is it a spectrum, but it's also a journey.  To me this trailer seems like a caricature because it overly romanticizes this whole idea that autism makes someone unique, special, and gifted. Furthermore, Maddie literally acts the same way she does in every Sia music video ever. 

Idk, this is difficult. I see where everyone is coming from. I guess representation is important, but how can you represent everyone when autism is a spectrum? I feel like a kid with low-functioning autism (someone correct me if I'm not using the right language) would actually really like this movie. 

[The Exhale Psychic]

i hate the fact that Sia worked with a charity who think Autism is a Disease 

[monkeystar88]

This is important but when Roxxy mocks someone mental disorder and tells them they don't matter and to goo die That means nothing. um ok

[monkeystar88]

Sia has the face for radio.

[The Greatest Show]

I love her even more now.

[RadicalOptimism]

Sia really has a hard on for that Ziegler girl 

[GlitterSlayDExhaleHI]

22 hours ago, Haha-Hehe-Haha-Ho said:

Yikes. I get that people are quick to pounce on any perceived slight to pc culture but this was not a very diplomatic way of handling this. Even if they legit are a bad actor, it's generally a bad move to respond to criticism with a counter attack; She should have just been transparent about the issue, or even just ignored it. 

We have gotten to the point where everything has to be so tactful, diplomatic, and gentle. It’s annoying honestly. Sia is being harassed and she is probably a genuine good person with love for everyone. Let her snap back. Political correctness is so damn annoying these days! Sia has done NOTHING wrong here. People need to be more objective. 

[GlitterSlayDExhaleHI]

4 hours ago, QZeusLiquorQ said:

i am sorry for the comment, but this is my life experience

i have seen time again and again autists who feel entitled, narcisstic and arrogant

sorry for my poor experience

my apologizes <3

And conversely (my last comment), you don’t always need to share your experiences when they blatantly offend and disrespect someone who cannot help the way they are. Jesus. 

[FullyDattAndDatt3full]

1 hour ago, halfdressed said:

And conversely (my last comment), you don’t always need to share your experiences when they blatantly offend and disrespect someone who cannot help the way they are. Jesus. 

By the way i think they shouldn't think they cannot help themselves at all? Or what is your opinion on it (just curious) (i am not trying to fight, Jesus, just curious  )

as the opposite, maybe you can share something positive about what you know about autists?

i really want to, selfishly, end this dumb way things went from me with a positive note

who knows i just might be a little fearful about autists, but you have better thoughts?

[RadicalOptimism]

5 hours ago, monkeystar88 said:

This is important but when Roxxy mocks someone mental disorder and tells them they don't matter and to goo die That means nothing. um ok

 

5 hours ago, monkeystar88 said:

Sia has the face for radio.

The irony of these two posts 

[rowelle]

I'm going to guess they cast Maddie and not an actual autistic person because of what the character possibly does/goes through in the movie. Perhaps there may be several dream sequences where the character suddenly is able to dance and is free of her limitations. Since Maddie is a friend and a long-time collaborator of Sia's , she's the perfect choice.

Also, with Music being the main character in the movie, the filming schedule can be grueling and demanding, so they possibly wanted a person without disabilities to be in the movie so that production wouldn't have to possibly shut down or be put on delay if the actor in the role would need some down time.

With the amount of money that movies cost to make, I'm sure producers didn't want any delays because that just money wasted and from a producer's point of view, it might be better to have hired an able person other than one with special needs.

Sia does say that there are several people on the spectrum who have worked on the movie, both behind the scenes and some who appear in the film, so I feel that Maddie was cast in the title role because of what the role calls for. 

We'll possibly know the reason why Maddie was cast after the film is released and if/when people see it.

[whoisit]

On 11/20/2020 at 5:31 PM, PrettyGorl said:

Good for her. Twitter users need to stop acting entitled to everything. Im gay I don’t care if a gay man plays a gay man as long as they are quality and not offensive.

It’s offensive to cast a non autistic person especially since roles for autistic people are scarce, autistic people also are a minority so they deserve also respect.

[whoisit]

Sad to see people praising the sia clapback it kinda offends me as a person with autism. Also if the trailer is the presentation of what the movie should be it’s a bad representation and a mockery of the autistic community. Sorry that i sound like those twitter users but i just needed to say it. 

[The Exhale Psychic]

1 minute ago, whoisit said:

Sad to see people praising the sia clapback it kinda offends me as a person with autism. Also if the trailer is the presentation of what the movie should be it’s a bad representation and a mockery of the autistic community. Sorry that i sound like those twitter users but i just needed to say it. 

Thank you. From one Autistic to another. thank you

[DarkOut]

7 hours ago, iAlwaysSingLive said:

I agree with this as well.  The only obviously autistic person I've ever interacted with used to behave like this to an even more severe degree (he wouldn't really talk much, and he would often make all kinds of noises and throw temper tantrums), whereas now he's a perfectly functioning human you can hold conversations with. Is he still a bit unusual? Yes, but that's not a bad thing. Point is, not only is it a spectrum, but it's also a journey.  To me this trailer seems like a caricature because it overly romanticizes this whole idea that autism makes someone unique, special, and gifted. Furthermore, Maddie literally acts the same way she does in every Sia music video ever. 

Idk, this is difficult. I see where everyone is coming from. I guess representation is important, but how can you represent everyone when autism is a spectrum? I feel like a kid with low-functioning autism (someone correct me if I'm not using the right language) would actually really like this movie. 

They are not temper tantrums, they are meltdowns. The difference is important because the manipulative intent behind tantrums is not present in autistic meltdowns. "Tantrum" is a derogatory term used to silence, infantilize and shame.

Autistic people are against "functioning labels" (low/high -functioning) because these labels can be misleading and the "spectrum" is actually an assortment of traits, with some of the actually disabling traits being more invisible to outsiders. Other traits can fluctuate within a person at different times, as well. Being verbal with a decent IQ is enough for autistic people to be labeled "high-functioning" and face shaming for "laziness," etc., when they're actually disabled or struggling. We're expected to hold jobs like "normal" people yet many people don't want to work with us, make accommodations for us (including budgetary) or even deal with us personally, as hinted at below and throughout this thread...

12 minutes ago, rowelle said:

I'm going to guess they cast Maddie and not an actual autistic person because of what the character possibly does/goes through in the movie. Perhaps there may be several dream sequences where the character suddenly is able to dance and is free of her limitations. Since Maddie is a friend and a long-time collaborator of Sia's , she's the perfect choice.

Also, with Music being the main character in the movie, the filming schedule can be grueling and demanding, so they possibly wanted a person without disabilities to be in the movie so that production wouldn't have to possibly shut down or be put on delay if the actor in the role would need some down time.

With the amount of money that movies cost to make, I'm sure producers didn't want any delays because that just money wasted and from a producer's point of view, it might be better to have hired an able person other than one with special needs.

Sia does say that there are several people on the spectrum who have worked on the movie, both behind the scenes and some who appear in the film, so I feel that Maddie was cast in the title role because of what the role calls for. 

We'll possibly know the reason why Maddie was cast after the film is released and if/when people see it.

"suddenly is able to dance and is free of her limitations" - That's not how autism works. (Unless you meant she happily wore a shirt made of 50% wool, 50% clothing tags and discovered she's quite comfortable in a dentist office with the sun glaring in the window, lol.)

Our "limitations" are not necessarily what you'd consider limitations. We're often okay with ourselves but uncomfortable in a world made for others. If we're not okay with ourselves, it's sometimes due to internalized shame, isolation and other things that are actually caused by other people. We might want reduced anxiety; more comfortable clothing; to be heard, understood and respected; and for others to compromise somewhat. Sounds like what almost everyone wants, just somewhat more extreme because our sensory processing is different.

---

(Re: more bolded) We face that illegal discrimination often, and it's not right. It's not just the film industry, it's every industry.

There are talented actors who are autistic. Many people say that autistic women sometimes become good actors naturally from observing people, "masking," etc. (natural practice!). They shouldn't be excluded because of a disability, and people shouldn't assume how disabled we are. We'll usually try to tell you freely what causes us distress! (I imagine anyone trying to act is actually verbal, and can make attempts to explain ourselves.) This is not nit-picky to us, this is us trying to prevent physical discomfort (various pain, nausea from smells, etc.) and other poignant distress. It's very real; just alien to you because we process everything in different ways. It's discriminatory to exclude us for these differences alone (assuming the skills have been presented) when we're willing and passionate (about the arts, like this example) or just plain need work like almost anyone (more mundane jobs).

We don't all have the same needs and sensitivities, so it's very harmful to assume what we can or can't handle, film set or otherwise. We tend to overthink and don't want to over-extend ourselves lightly, so if we want to do something difficult, it's probably because of intense passion, desire and drive. We deserve chances to show you we can shine. (Yet again, though, don't assume this gig would be similarly difficult for us all, or even for everyone some might consider in the same range on the spectrum.)

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I wanted to post my thread reply before the quotes but it won't let me, so I'll post it in another reply. That's good because this got long.