Jimmy Kimmel asks Music star Kate Hudson that question about Sia's controversial casting
Aux Features Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson teased Jimmy Kimmel Live viewers on Friday that she’d been mere moments from providing them a glimpse of stepdad Kurt Russell taking a nap. Hudson was doing the remote guesting thing from Russell and mom Goldie Hawn’s bedroom, and swore to Kimmel that she’d attempted to keep the hibernating Russell in frame, but, alas, we were not treated to the sight of a rumpled and snoring Kurt Russell in the background. Can’t have everything.
Still, Hudson was there to talk about her recent Golden Globe nomination (she won for Almost Famous in 2001), for her singing and acting in Sia’s unexpectedly controversial new film, Music. The story of a neuroatypical young woman healed by the “power of love” (and presumably Sia’s music, as sung by the likes of Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr.), Music has courted that controversy through first-time director Sia’s choice of neurotypical actress Maddie Ziegler to play her lead character, a nonverbal woman with autism. And while Sia has not exactly covered herself in grace and glory with her atonally defensive/abusive responses to criticism from members of the autism community (and other people who think that filmmakers should really have learned about representation by this point), Hudson was relatively smooth about it when Kimmel brought the matter up.
“Nobody has really asked me that,” said Hudson of Kimmel raising the issue, and the actress was game to have the discussion she stated was only right and necessary. “It’s not a soundbite conversation,” said Hudson, “I think it’s an ongoing, important dialogue to be had about neurotypical actors playing neurodivergent characters.” See, Sia—not so hard. Hudson even steered Kimmel back toward this touchy ground when, at one point, the host brought up her Golden Globe nomination, explaining, “I feel terrible,” that members of the neuroatypical public have been hurt by her director’s casting choice. (Hudson did not, however, wade into Sia’s widely derided prickliness about that community daring to question her artistic choices, only agreeing with Kimmel that Sia is “lovely” person.)
Kimmel, who has been just as vocal in his support of the autism community (he told Hudson that he has autism in his own family) as he’s been scathing in his mockery of anti-vaxxers baselessly blaming autism on life-saving vaccines, kept that dialogue front-and-center throughout the last half of the interview, with Hudson delicately explaining her own willingness to listen. There was a touch of “Hey, I just work here,” to Hudson’s analysis of the issue, but at least, unlike some people involved in Music’s production, she didn’t engage by swearing at—and in one case, insulting—the very people she claimed to be trying to represent onscreen. (Or half-apologizing, then deleting her social media.) Anyway, Music is playing on VOD and in select IMAX theaters now.
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This experience has taught people, but mostly me, that the Golden Globes will nominate anything if it’s a musical since the genre is ridiculously glued together with the “Best Comedy Feature” category. Now I just need to get the rights to Tiny Tim’s back catalogue.
Previous nominees in that category include: Burlesque, The Tourist, Red, Nine, Mamma Mia, Across the Universe, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), My Week with Marylyn, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Don’t forget The Martian.
Olay, maybe it shouldn’t be an award winning movie, but I thought Burlesque was a lot of fun. The songs were great, the dancing had crazy amounts of energy. Christina Aguilera could actually act. Kristen Bell played a great bitch and Cher was Cher.
Didn’t The Martian *WIN* that category?
Some of these are pretty good movies. Like the ones I watched.
Well, it doesn’t conflict with “the awards show where they drink” which is basically 100% of the Golden Globe’s entire reason to exist.
9:18 I don’t recognise her I’m sure someone else does and someone in Hollywood who looks just like her will be dead in reply
Cast retarded people in retarded roles!
“There was a touch of “Hey, I just work here,” to Hudson’s analysis of the issue…” Which may be because she’s an actor hired to play a role, and does, if fact, does literally just work there, and had no role in the script, casting or direction of the film.
Would Sia have ever cast anyone but Ziegler? I have to think the movie was written with her in mind from the beginning and no one else would be considered. I also have to wonder if she really wanted to tell a story about autism or just saw it as a way to quickly define the character and get to the dance. So maybe the complaint should instead be Sia using the “autism is magic” trope. I’d bet she could have had her Maddie dance movie almost completely as it is now without specifically using autism as a prop.
I mean, she could have like, not written it with a neurotypical actress in mind…
Yeah but the question is, did she want to make a dance movie starring Maddie (who seems to be her recurring muse/thinly veiled stand-in for some aspect of herself) or did she want to tell a story about autism? I’m putting all of my money on the former. Ziegler was almost certainly going to be the star of Sia’s first movie in which case the question is whether the subject matter is appropriate. It’s a distinction that matters. Using autism as an easy trope is problematic too but it’s a different topic than casting.
I mean it’s the same problem either way
Kind of, but if it’s a choice of subject for a Sia/Ziegler dance movie that’s appropriation. If it’s a movie that must be about autism and they chose to star Ziegler that’s more about representation (perhaps with a side of appropriation as well, depending.)As I kind of doubt anyone else auditioned for the role (and think the story is probably a way to get to the music and dance) I suspect it’s the former and if so I’d hope to see the “autism is magic” trope called out. I absolutely agree representation is an issue in Hollywood but this may be more a question of bad taste.
I don’t think the question is whether anyone else auditioned but rather whether Sia at all tried to find an autistic person to play the role
I don’t think the question is whether anyone else auditioned but rather whether Sia at all tried to find an autistic person to play the role
She also could have just not written it at all.
Sia made this movie because she’s fascinated by the idea of someone who can only express herself musically, and having a character for whom that’s true who doesn’t have autism would be even worse.
…what? Pretty sure it would be objectively better if Sia decided to go with a fantasyland scenario where the person is just “different” instead of a godawful caricature of behaviors that already lead to the bullying of autistic people, not to mention a scene demonstrating a restraint method that literally kills children.
It’s a problem either way. If she wanted a movie centering on Zeigler, then there was any number of subjects she could have chosen, rather than “magic fantasy autism” where she uses an autistic character as a blank for her projections. If she wanted to make a movie centering on autism, she could have done her homework and worked with the autistic community, casting an autistic dancer in the role. Casting is juts one part of the problem. The complaints are about both the casting and how autism is handled within the video.
No insult or insensitivity intended, but I had a couple of thoughts after seeing the film and this seems to be a proper place to express them.1) eventho Music is the title character, it seemed to me that true main character was was Zu. It was a story more about recovering from addiction and acceptance of responsibility than about Music’s mental capacity. The reality of Music just served as a barrier to Zu’s understanding as to whether she was really doing a proper job or not. Having a full grown person be that utterly dependent on her is a different thing than if she had been suddenly been made responsible for a newborn or small child who could not express herself and her desires. Would the story have been better told if Zu had to suddenly care for an elderly family member?
2) this one is dicier…I took Music’s flights of fancy into song to represent a world where she was not Autistic. Am I wrong here? and do you get the same backlash if you cast and autistic actor and then ask them to not be for those sequences? The crude example would be casting an able bodied actor to portray a person in a wheelchair so you could then show that character walking in a flashback or fantasy sequence.Maddy has been Sia’s muse since the Chandelier days, so I’m presuming the urge to cast her here in a big production would not just be to have a known quantity around, but someone she would be comfortable working with.
since you saw the movie, i have a question: is it true that there’s a lot of flashing lights and stuff in it?, i.e., things that are triggering for neurodiverse folks?because if there is, that would be…interesting.
I don’t remeber them specifically, but they’d most likely be in the fantasy sequences and therefore easily fast forwarded thru without really compromising the narrative
If you have to ask question number 2, don’t make the movie.
that would eliminate a whole genre of sports biopics where the great athlete suffers an injury and has to cope with the life change. Are those stories not worth telling?
Holy shit you could fill a cornfield with the strawmen here.
could you give me an answer that doesn’t rely on first year criticism cliches?
thank you Gate Keeper.. any word from the Key Master?
“The crude example would be casting an able bodied actor to portray a
person in a wheelchair so you could then show that character walking in a
flashback or fantasy sequence.”Stuntpeople are pretty common across the industry, no?
Did the AV Club reviewed the film when it came out? If so, I can’t find it
I like the parts where the movie says the best way to stop an autistic person from acting out is to tackle them with a Bill Goldberg spear and then sit on them like you’re trying to hatch an egg.
…aaaaaand this is how we got Gillberg
Remember Eugene?
Oh man, that’s a blast from the past lol
Might not be the best way, but it’s definitely the most fun way.
My Left Foot…of Boogie
What are we going to do about all these actors, dressing up and pretending to be people they’re not? And other people film it???
Everything about that movie looks terrible. Just…the portrayal… it’s awful.
Apparently some of the characters have so much bronzer it starts to resemble brownface, so, extra yikes.
It might be the most baffling movie I’ve seen since “North”, where it’s a movie like that one that means well, but everyone outside of the insulated production bubble just looks at the final product like “What in the fuck?”
Between this and Book of Henry, Maddie Ziegler needs a new agent.But the most baffling thing… it’s up for Best Picture at the Golden Fucking Globes.WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK.
With the right amount of cash, you can get into the GG field (remember “The Tourist”?)
I do not. Which given context clues seems like a good thing.
Is there site policy not to review the movie? It came out like a week ago.
My guess is that the film, while likely not a great pillar of filmmaking, actually isn’t that bad and that to review it would have to mean admiting that Ziegler did a perfectly serviceable job with her role and actually had some good moments. And that wouldn’t be woque, because everyone knows there isn’t an entire profession dedicated to people dressing and behaving like people who are not them.
Bad guess, the film is genuinely absurdly awful
lmao nope
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/music
Excuse me, but that doesn’t mean shit. I’m not trying to defend the movie, but you can pull a freezed frame from any motion picture ever made and get a wild fucked up face pic. Yes that one looks like Warren cosplay, but my point stands.
ok cool, so she did go full out with it. It doesn’t change my point that I’m not going to Charlie Kirk something based on a single frame.
Yet here you are, Charlie Kirking a rather long and detailed thread based on the opening tweet.
Excuse me, but that doesn’t mean shit. I’m not trying to defend the movie, but you can pull a freezed frame from any motion picture ever made and get a wild fucked up face pic. Yes that one looks like Warren cosplay, but my point stands.
The whole point of acting is to play a character who is not yourself. I’ve played several gay men, a couple of serial killers, a doctor, journalist, a con man, a gigolo, a CEO, a Jewish man, a Roman senator, a pornographer, an alcoholic, and others (all “neurotypical,” by the way). I am none of these things. So I have no problem with a non-autistic actor playing an autistic person—as long as the role is written, directed and performed with respect and an understanding of what autism is. And I’m an actor and autistic.However, I don’t think I’ll see this. It looks awful, both as a film and as a portrayal of an autistic person.