Why Sia’s new film “MUSIC” is extremely problematic and ableist, a thread by an autistic person:

So a little background: This film is about a girl on the autism spectrum, and who’s being cared for by her sister who deals drugs. The girl on the spectrum, is played by Maddie Ziegler, this is problematic for a number of reasons

1: Maddie is a neurotypical, able bodied dancer. She has very little acting experience, as well as no right taking this role. I have no idea if they casted just her or even has the basic human decency to look for a neurotypical actor/actress

2: There are many autistic actors/actresses looking for work who probably would jump at the chance to showcase the spectrum in film by a person with the disorder. Knowing Sia and her weird obsession with Maddie, she probably was the only one considered for the part.

3rd and Finally: This shows that ableism in hollywood and the acting (theatre, TV, and film) industry is alive and well. This is showing actors with autism basically won’t be chosen over actors without and will probably be pushed under the rug.

This also shows that people with ASD will only be used for incredibly stereotypical roles, such as the “Rain man” or “Arnie Grape” character. This only shows people with ASD as one dimensional as well as they’re played by people with little to no understanding of the disorder.

Please out of solidarity for the Neurodivergent community, do not see this film, and support your local autistic artists, Thank you!

@Sia @maddieziegler @UniversalPics