Story at a glance
- CBS announced a new initiative that aims to recruit more actors with disabilities for roles as series regulars, guest stars or co-starring roles in current series and pilots.
- Twenty-six percent of the U.S. population lives with disabilities.
- Only 4.2 percent of video content in the U.S. features a disability theme.
Hollywood is taking steps to be more inclusive and is rolling out a new initiative that will give historically underrepresented performers, including those with disabilities, an opportunity to star in current TV series and pilots.
CBS announced a new program called The CBS Performers with Disabilities Talent Initiative that will launch in the 2022-2023 broadcast season. It aims to achieve meaningful representation and inclusion for all underrepresented groups in series regular, guest star or co-starring roles in current series and pilots.
Eligible candidates will have the chance to play characters specifically written with a disability or even for roles that don’t specify one.
There has been a growing demand for more representation in the media, with data from Nielsen showing 26 percent of the U.S. population lives with disabilities while almost 50 percent of people with a disability feel their group is underrepresented on TV.
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Nielsen also found that only 4.2 percent of video content in the U.S. features a disability theme — that represents feature films, TV movies, short films, TV series, sporting events and more.
That’s still considered progress, because just a few years ago in 2019 there were 518 productions released featuring a disability theme. Through 2022 it’s jumped up to 6,895.
It’s an issue CBS hopes to work on through its new initiative, acknowledging the much-needed exposure.
“There are so many talented performers available who are often overlooked and are not being considered for roles, so our goal with this initiative is to help bridge that gap,” said Claudia Lyon, executive director of vice president of talent and casting at CBS Entertainment.
In a statement, CBS outlined that its initiative will include a casting 101 where performers will be able to attend a panel that offers career guidance on what casting directors are looking for during auditions, advice on getting headshots/resumes/demo reels and a Q&A session with CBS executives.
It will also include a series of acting workshops meant to give feedback and acting tips and a yearly open call in advance of each pilot season to consider new and up-and-coming performers with disabilities.
Being more inclusive could be a smart investment for both networks and brands too, as Nielsen also found that the disabled community is 17 percent more likely to interact with a brand when its ads feature people from their community.
There have been notable strides, like with the film “CODA” which featured the story of deaf parents and their hearing child and went on to win an Academy Award for best picture. Troy Kotsur, one of the stars of “CODA,” even became the first deaf man to win an Oscar for best supporting actor.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe also featured its first deaf superhero in the “Eternals.”
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