Katy Sullivan is an actor, athlete and bilateral above knee amputee. A four-time US paralympic champion in the 100 metres she is currently national co-ordinator for Hanger Clinic’s AMPOWER programme, a resource and community for amputees, and is developing LEGS, a single camera sitcom based on her life experiences.
She has written an ‘open letter’ to film star Dwayne Johnson for playing an amputee in the film ‘Skyscraper’. Here are some extracts from what she wrote:
“Dear Dwayne
My name is Katy Sullivan. I am an actress, Paralympian, double above-the-knee amputee from birth, and I have a request to ask you. You seem like a genuinely good dude, so I hope this will be received in the spirit that it was intended: Actor to Actor.
Your most recent film Skyscraper has opened. Cheers! Congratulations! However, my request to you is to stop saying ‘Yes’ to roles like the one in that movie. And here’s why …”
“Individuals with disabilities make up almost 20% of the world’s population. We are the largest and the most ‘marginalised group in Hollywood’, according to a 2017 study conducted by Fox, CBS and the Ruderman Family Foundation (an organisation I know you are aware of and engaging with now).
The study found that in last year’s TV season, less than 2% of characters were written to have a disability and of THOSE characters, 95% of the roles were filled with able-bodied actors.
There seems to be a lack of social outrage for able-bodied actors playing disabled characters. In fact, they are often celebrated for it, from the Golden Globes to the Oscars, for taking on such ‘difficult material’. Why wouldn’t an actor want to tackle roles so rich? But it’s that lack of authenticity that continues to make humans with disabilities feel invisible, me included.”
“Though it has been a huge challenge to break through the noise, I am extremely grateful to be a working actress. I count my lucky stars to have ben able to piece together a career that I’m quite proud of. And even with all of that, I was uncertain whether or not I should speak at all.
Will it make a difference?
Will it move the needle?”
“It’s when we all band together to do the right thing for TRUE inclusion and diversity that we start to change not only the landscape of our entertainment, but through that, we change the perception of what individuals with disabilities are capable of doing (in general).
Keep being awesome and thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Katy Sullivan