Was I wrong?

Question

For my acting class, our assignment was to watch a total stranger for 30 minutes and then go to class and act the way they did, with all their mannerisms, accents, body posture, etc. I chose to watch a fifteen-year-old mentally handicapped boy. I thought it was a good, challenging role, but when I was performing in class it felt like I was making fun of his disability. The teacher said I did a great job, but I still feel bad about it. Was I wrong?

Answer to Angela's question: The instructor noted how my body posture, facial expression, voice, smile and laugh had all changed. The scene I did was the one I saw him doing. He was at a restaurant with two family members who I assume were his mother and brother and it was his birthday.

Answer 1

Nothing wrong. You simply followed the parameters of the assignment. And, good for you. Most people would have thought that observation too emotionally charged to take on. Not you.
I am curious, though...what was the after performance discussion/evaluation like? What kinds of comments were made about your performance?

Answer 2

If you were portraying a mentally challenged boy with the intention of showing your skill and not intentionally trying to hurt this person, I would say you were not wrong. Who knows, if you become a great actor and take a serious role as a mentally challenged individual you may change the way some people interact with them and make their lives just a little bit easier. I've worked with mentally and physically challenged children and they go through some very stereotypical reactions when dealing with other people. Especially when they are on the bus. Many, many people will automatically move away from them because they don't want to sit or stand near them. If there are more T.V or movie scenes with people of this disability and it will educate them - all the power to you.

However, I would say shame on you if you were working on a comedy script intentionally attempting to make fun of the person with a handicap.( from what I read above, this does not appear to be the case)

Answer 3

Well, you were right if you accurately portrayed his mannerisms. If you did not exaggerate things, then you weren't really making fun, since that's how your subject actually was.

However, I would say you were wrong in your choice of subject. I think this is actually a much less challenging role, since this person probably had more obviousand observable behavior or mannerisms.

A better choice would have been someone more mainstream - after all, which type of person are you more likely to need to bring to life in a play?

It sounds like you took this assignment seriously, good for you, but I would think about what the true underlying purpose is when you get your next assignment.

Answer 4

Well other then picking a different subject to mock act I see nothing wrong with it. Rossie O'Donnell did it Mickey Rooney did it, no wait he was just goofy anyway, strike that one... Lots of actors and actresses have had to perform roles in which they played people that they were not and sold billions of tickets to see them act. Remember you were acting not being a bully. Perhaps some day you will have a role as a retarded person or imbecile that is cast in an award winning role Like president Bush in the White House or dumb and dumber. Who knows. learn from the experience and move on all the rest of us have.

Answer 5

Everyone who mentioned intent had a great point. If your intent was to act out a challenging part and do well on your assignment, there is no problem. If your intent was to make fun of the boy, then there would be an issue. Clearly your intent was the former - don't beat yourself up.

Answer 6

If you were making fun of this person's disabilities, then I would say that you were wrong. However, it sounds like you attempted to place yourself in that boy's shoes, which is extremely difficult. We're taught that it's not polite to mimic people with disabilities however I believe that we can learn a lot if we observe and attempt to understand how things must be for that person.

Look at Dustin Hoffman and his performance as a man with severe Autism in Rainman. He is now a huge advocate for research on Autism.

By the way, my son is autistic. It only bothers me when someone mimics him in exaggeration. There are some of the kids who have mimicked him in an attempt to make my son feel he fits in or, as one little girl told me, she wanted to know if the rocking back and forth was as soothing as it seemed to be.

Answer 7

The problem lies with you - are you truly making fun of him when you were acting out him?
There is only a thin fine line between acting and truly living the character when you start it out as a career.
If you can't cross this hurdle, then you might as well give it up.
Whatever it is, this mix-feel is part and parcel of being an actress, and a good one.
Hope one day you will find your own way to overcome it and excel in your work.

Answer 8

I can see why you would choose a role like this, but if your classmates are acting like that.. then I would question who the real one with the disability is!

If your teacher said you did a good job.. then you did. When the students hand out grades, then start to care what they think.

Answer 9

You're the only one who knows the answer to that. You know what was in your heart and whether or not you were intending to get a good laugh with your imitation or if you were truly trying to choose a challenging role. If you were trying to get a good laugh and you feel bad about now forget about it and let yourself off the hook. It's over now, just learn from it.

Answer 10

I don't think so. It depends on how you looked at it. I have a little boy with downs syndrome, and I don't think that I would have been offended if you had done it about him. As long as it was for you to learn, I think it's ok. When people joke about people with a mental disability, that makes me mad. I think it shows that you have respect for that boy and his challenges, because you do feel bad.