ADVOCATING FOR ACTORS WITH DOWN SYNDROME


When Lindsey Ferrentino started work on Amy and the Orphans, she wanted to ensure an actor with Down syndrome would play the title role, so she called Gail Williamson, a Los Angeles-based talent agent. Williamson has spent over 20 years advocating for more, and more authentic, characterizations of individuals with disabilities and Down syndrome in TV and film, and she knew at once that Jamie Brewer would be the perfect “Amy.”


When Williamson’s second son, Blair, was born with Down syndrome in 1979, she experienced first-hand how people with the condition were treated. “I would carry him into a restaurant, and there would be total silence.” Ten years later, she noticed a big change. It had to do with “Life Goes On”—the first major TV series to feature a lead character with Down syndrome (see next page for more). Suddenly, strangers treated Blair like a human being and waiters would ask him for his order. Williamson saw the


impact of the media: “The images we see on TV teach in a nonaggressive way; they introduce us to new stories. We learn from these stories, and the next time we meet somebody different, we might not be so afraid.”


“Life Goes On” gave Blair a role model and encouraged him to pursue his love of performing. He filmed a commercial for the Special Olympics in 1991 and received such positive feedback that Williamson began submitting him for auditions. He went on to guest star on “ER,” “Nip/ Tuck,” “CSI,” and other popular TV shows. On the sets, Williamson provided extra coaching while subtly helping directors and crews learn how to work with actors with disabilities.


Williamson has seen that people with Down syndrome have a strong tendency to perform, in part because their socialization parallels traditional actor training. “We send them to therapy, where they first learn how to wait. Then, their therapists direct them to do tasks, over and over again. People with Down syndrome are great improv artists. They don’t have an internal editor. They say exactly what they think, but they also follow direction.”


Williamson quickly began advocating for other actors with DS. “Blair’s agent said I was the worst stage mother ever, because when I took him to auditions, I brought a stack of headshots of other actors they should see as well. For me it’s always been about the bigger picture. It’s about Down syndrome becoming more accepted in the world.” To this end, she worked with California’s Media Access Office to promote the employment and accurate portrayal of persons with disabilities in the media. In 2004, Williamson founded Down Syndrome in Media and Arts, a non-profit casting liaison service, and today she runs the Diversity department for the LA-based agency Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin, where she is the “go-to” agent for producers—like Ryan Murphy of “Glee” and “American Horror Story” or John Wells of “ER” and “Shameless”—looking for actors with disabilities.


While the entertainment industry has become more diverse, there’s room for growth. Just as it is not acceptable to cast a white actor to play a person of color, Williamson hopes for a future where major characters with disabilities will be played by actors with the same disability. She also looks forward to seeing more diverse casting for incidental roles, like waiters and receptionists, because more inclusion on TV and film screens promotes more inclusion for real people.•


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