Singer-songwriter Sia has come under fire for the trailer of her new film “Music” - a movie about autism, but without an autistic lead actor. On the 19th of November, 2020, Sia released the trailer of the movie that was filmed in 2017. It is about a newly sober young woman who is called upon to take care of her non-verbal, autistic sister.
Maddie Ziegler, an 18 year-old actor made famous by the show “Dance Moms”, plays the lead role. Ziegler is neurotypical- non-autistic. While some autistic individuals were pleased to see representation, others felt the portrayal of autism was not realistic and voiced their discomfort with the trailer. Sia said she tried to cast an autistic lead actor, but that ‘it felt more compassionate to use Maddie.’ She also replied to a tweet by an autistic actor about being excluded with, ‘maybe you’re just a bad actor.’
Additionally, Sia decided to partner with Autism Speaks, the largest non-profit related to autism, for her research. Autism Speaks views autistic individuals as people who need to be cured, instead of accepted and supported. They perpetuate a harmful narrative that autism is an evil illness, burdening families. According to The Washington Post, this non-profit has consistently been opposed to austic empowerment and self-advocacy on Capitol Hill. On top of this, they have lobbied against the Autism Cares Act, an amendment that would have been a major step towards the inclusion of autistic people.
Sia tweeted, “Grrrrrrrrrr. F*ckity f*ck why don’t you watch my film before you judge it? FURY.” Many people responded to this with statements like, “as an autistic person this [trailer] made me cringe to my core…” and “I feel like [the movie] is almost making fun of people with autism.”
If Sia won’t listen to the community she is trying to represent, why even bother making the movie in the first place?
Written by Charlie Addie
Artwork by Zara Masood
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