Those with disabilities and physical differences have found the spotlight recently. Here is one example:
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On a dewy July morning last summer, Amy Wright looked on with mild
concern as her son, Beau, ran across a hilly field in the Appalachian
mountains outside Beckley, W.Va. The pair, along with Amy’s husband,
Ben, were among many on the hillside as cameras rolled on Beau’s first
scene in the independent film “Little Accidents.”
The role was a momentous opportunity for Beau, who celebrated his
ninth birthday the day before arriving on set. But it was an even more
bittersweet experience for his parents, who looked on as their son took
on a part few people can play — a young boy with Down syndrome.
Amy’s worry that morning wasn’t merely that of a mother watching her
son take his first step in front of the movie camera. It was also that
of a mother who has watched her son overcome being born blind, not being
able to walk until he was 3 and living day to day with an intellectual
and developmental disability.
But most of all, the role gave Beau the opportunity to show the world
that those with Down syndrome are capable of much more than many think
possible.
‘Little Accidents’
In “Little Accidents,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
last month, Beau plays James, a role conceived by writer/director Sara
Colangelo specifically for a young boy with Down syndrome. Following a
devastating mining accident that kills their father, James must protect a
secret with his older brother. The drama charts the lives of several
families in the coal-mining town in the wake of the tragedy, which left
only one survivor (“Milk’s” Boyd Holbrook). Elizabeth Banks (“The Hunger
Games”), Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama”) and Oscar nominee Chloe
Sevigny (“Boys Don’t Cry”) also star.
Beau’s foray into acting began when the “Little Accidents” part
seemingly fell into the Wrights’ lap. In 2013, Amy and Ben, both of whom
have backgrounds in theater, wrote and performed, respectively, a song
called “Be the One” to raise awareness about the benefits of
establishing one-on-one relationships with those born with intellectual
and developmental disabilities — even recruiting “Glee’s” Lauren Potter
to star in a music video shot in Wilmington, N.C. last March.
Following filming, the couple got to know Potter’s agent and were
soon notified of a national casting call looking for middle-school-aged
boys with Down syndrome for an upcoming project. Although Beau was only 8
at the time, they were encouraged to respond. As Amy was told, “the
opportunity was like winning the lottery because roles for kids with
disabilities are few and far between.”
Ben, who originated the role of Jack in Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the
Woods” on Broadway and has appeared in such films as “Born on the Fourth
of July,” never had the intention of ushering his kids into the
entertainment business.
“I certainly wouldn’t encourage them to do it professionally,” he
said. “People see the show part of show business, but forget that it is
still a business.”
But after giving it considerable thought, the Wrights proposed the
idea of auditioning to Beau, whose response surprised them. Although he
had never expressed a desire to act, Beau, who loves watching movies on
the family TV and his Kindle, approached them the next day and said he
wanted to do “his movie.”
“Right after that, he worked with his sister Emma Grace and learned
the lines and (we) got out the video camera and taped him doing it,” Ben
said. “He wanted to do it again and again and again. He seemed to like
it.”
Shortly after agreeing as a family to pursue the role, the audition
process began with submitting the tapes of Beau working with the lines.
Soon, the Wrights were contacted by the film’s director and producers,
who were interested in setting up Skype video conference auditions. By
May, the role was down to just Beau and another boy. By June, the part
was his.
“I remember the night we got the call at like 9:30. Beau had gone out
with his dad to get his sisters, and when they got back, I was out in
the driveway jumping for joy,” Amy said, laughing. “He was so excited.”
After scoring the role, Ben said something interesting happened with
his son. Beau began to understand and associate that something he was
going to record in real life was going to end up on a screen like the
shows he loves to watch.
“That is fairly sophisticated to connect those dots, and I feel like he did,” he said.
From West Virginia to Park City
The road to production was a swift one for the Wrights, who were
packing up and heading to West Virginia by mid-July for a six-week
shoot.
The first day of filming, Beau and his parents had to travel by
ranger mobile at 6 a.m. to the remote hillside set for several hours of
filming.
“That first day, heading through the woods, was tough for Beau,” said Ben, who sometimes had to carry his son.
As production went on, Ben and Amy could see that Beau was responding to the new experience of being in front of the camera.
“It is difficult with Beau because you don’t always know what he is
thinking, but you could tell that he was into it,” Ben said. “I
definitely think it gave him a sense of, ‘Gosh, something is expected of
me here over and above what I typically do.’”
Amy said Beau’s cheery disposition was a favorite on set.
“It is a very heavy script, and everybody would say that Beau brought
such a lightness to the set because he only has some understanding of
the gravity of what the whole movie was about. So when he came to set,
he was happy,” Amy said. “When other people would come out of scenes
that may have drained them, Beau brought a real fresh energy and
everyone loved it.”
Beau’s role as James required its own emotional spectrum, though.
Filling the shoes of the tag-along younger brother, Beau has humorous
and playful moments with his brother, played by 17-year-old Jacob
Lofland (“Mud”), but must also muster the emotion for emotional scenes
as the film moves along.
The brotherly bond Beau built with Lofland, both on screen and off,
is what his parents point to as the most beneficial part of “Little
Accidents” for their son, especially since Beau has three sisters —
Lillie, Emma Grace and Ditty, who also has Down syndrome — at home.
After finding out Beau had been cast just two weeks after him, Lofland
started Skyping with his new on-screen brother to break the ice. Finally
meeting in-person on set, the boys became inseparable, sharing the
majority of their scenes and spending their downtime playing games.
“After we met that first day, we instantly hit it off,” Lofland said.
“I’m so glad he liked me because Beau is so fun to be around.” Lofland
said when he arrived at his hotel in Park City, Utah, for the film
festival, the doorman told him someone was waiting for him. Opening the
door to his room, Lofland found Beau, who came running towards him, arms
open, screaming, “My brother!”
Since filming has ended, the boys have remained close, texting and Facetiming several times a week.
“I’m always gonna stay in touch with Beau,” Lofland said.
Sundance, which Amy said was the “best adventure ever,” was a big
reunion for the cast and crew, who became like a family during
production.
“Being downtown in Park City, where there was such a creative vibe
with so many people from the industry, was amazing,” Amy said. “Sharing
it all with Jacob is what made Beau happiest.”
The film’s premiere at Sundance garnered scattered praise, with The
Hollywood Reporter calling it “a compelling but not self-important
small-town drama” and IndieWire admiring Colangelo for an “impressive”
feature film debut. But for the Wrights, being part of “Little
Accidents” is something they hope will have even farther-reaching
effects.
“Being the parents of kids with special needs, you become advocates,”
Amy said. “For kids like Beau to be in roles like these is a great way
for the world to see a 9-year-old boy on the big screen with Down
syndrome that can (be physically active) and rattle off these lines.
Kids just like him are capable of doing this,”
Beau, who got to walk down the red carpet at Sundance and sat through
the entire film’s screening like “a little prince,” according to his
mom, is still starstruck with seeing himself on the big screen.
“It was really cool!” Beau said. “I love being a movie star.”
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And here's another:
Skier Alex Bilodeau says it’s his brother with cerebral palsy who inspired him in his quest for Olympic glory.
Bilodeau took the gold medal Monday for freestyle skiing moguls at
the Sochi Games, repeating his victory four years ago at the Vancouver
Olympics.
The Canadian athlete promptly celebrated by embracing his brother
Frederic, who has cerebral palsy and was enthusiastically cheering on
the sidelines.
“When I see him, he’s my everyday inspiration,” Bilodeau said of his
brother who’s become a recognizable face in Canada in his own right
after a similar embrace at the Vancouver games.
“I wake up in the morning and it’s rainy outside and I don’t want to
go train, I don’t want to go out and ski. I look at my brother and if he
had that chance he would go, he would grab it,” Bilodeau said. “With
the motivation that he has, if he would be a normal person like I have
the chance to be, he would be three times Olympic champion. There’s no
doubt.”
The gold will cap Bilodeau’s skiing career. He told Canada’s Global News that he plans to retire after the Sochi Olympics.
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