Disney+’s ‘Shardlake’ Star Opens Up About Disability Representation In TV
deadline.comThe star of Disney+‘s Shardlake has addressed having a different disability to the character he portrays in the C.J. Sansom adaptation, which launches today.
Arthur Hughes, who was the first person with a disability to portray Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company, stressed that Shardlake was always going to have a disabled lead – whether him or another actor – coming as debate rages over authentic representation in TV and film.
Hughes has radial dysplasia in his right arm, while the titular Matthew Shardlake is a crime-solving barrister with scoliosis.
Hughes said at a London screening: “I was aware that Shardlake has a disability that is not my own, and I wanted to find a level of truth in what I was doing and not necessarily affecting something that was not my own experience.
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