Look, I hold the unpopular opinion that forcing an actor to be openly autistic in a hostile work environment is not actually a great way to fix bad representation.

There are waaay deeper problems in what I can see so far of "Music" than "they didn't cast an autistic actor."

Problems that I would never, ever expect an actor in that situation to fix. Because that would be requiring TWO JOBS of an actor already in an especially vulnerable situation.

That doesn't mean I don't think it's important for productions to seek out disabled actors or to break down systemic barriers that exist between disabled actors and professional training & experience. I very much do.

There have been portrayals of autistic characters, by actors & writers whose disability status I have no idea of, that I will defend to the ends of the earth. Who were treated as whole people, with actual respect and agency, within their stories.

(And spoiler alert: They largely failed to attract significant condemnation or outrage.)

And of course actors do research! And sometimes actors get an exceptional degree of input into the development of their character! Or act in work that they've also written/directed/produced.

But by and large, those are different jobs for a reason. As are script doctor or dramaturg.

And expecting an extremely young autistic actor, to fix the *worldview* of a creative team wrt non-speaking autistic people, guardianship...

...autistic people's rights to be the protagonists of our own stories, as well as help navigate the incredibly fraught history of autistic & disabled people's media representation...

That's setting someone up to be mistreated, fail, and burn out.

I'm 1000% not saying this to let producers off the hook for seeking disabled talent, consultation & community engagement for productions involving us. The access barriers to the professional world are real.

But part of giving autistic/disabled actors real and equal access is not just casting. It is appropriate support, accommodation, and respect from top to bottom of the process.