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10 Roles That Could Have Been Given To Actors With Disabilities

It seems that more often than not star power gets the nod.

The representation of disabilities in cinema is no longer as rare as it once used to be. Although, there is still criticism that these roles could be filled with disabled actors, instead of gleaning well known names purely for their star power.

There has been arguments around the representation of disability in Hollywood in the last few years, with some arguing that these characters should be represented by people who share the disability, rather than making it ok for able bodied actors represent the disabled community.

With the recent outcry from Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte for more diverse roles for people with disabilities, our friends over at Ability decided to compile a list of film and tv roles that could have potentially been given to actors who already have existing disabilities.

10. Unbreakable - Samuel L Jackson - Elijah Price

Unbreakable Samuel L. Jackson
Touchstone Pictures

Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is born with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease that affects the fragility of its sufferers bones.

9. Dodgeball - Rip Torn - Patches O’Houlihan

Dodgeball Rip Torn
20th Century Fox

Although it isn’t clear why Patches is in a wheelchair, we can assume that his advancing age and reckless lifestyle may have finally caught up with him in this classic comedy.

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