My recent blogs have covered soaps & historical shows and acting in general but so far I am yet to cover fantasy.
This is the topic of the entertainment industry that I am most interested in. Both because I love fantasy in general but also because it seems to be the part of the entertainment industry that has the least disabled actors.
Most fantasy television shows or films are based on books. As we know old fashioned fairytales aren't really very realistic but companies making them do modernize them to fit in with today's society.
Yet where is disability? Disney or any other production company of a large scale (not one hundred percent sure on small ones) have never created a Disabled princess. There's no disabled characters in Harry Potter and upon being asked J.K Rowling said that any disability could be cured by magic which is why there are no disabled characters within Harry Potter.
It got me thinking about other shows & films, I came to the conclusion that every disabled person should get the chance to see themselves as witch,wizards,princesses, knight or any other kind or mythical being.
One place I did notice was doing this was CBBC'S adaptation of Jill Murphy's "Worst Witch" series I was so thrilled when Mabel was introduced.
Mabel's actress Annette Hannah was kind enough to let me ask her a few questions about disability,acting & fantasy.
Incase you haven't seen the worst witch or know little about Annette here is a d
Brief summary of her career & character
Annette Hannah is a fourteen-year-old British actress, whose career began when she appeared in Game of Thrones Season six playing
Frances one of the "little birds", street children used as spies within King's Landing. Annette also appeared in the GOT episode "Oathbreaker".& was one of the children who kill Pycelle in the episode "The Winds of Winter." A scene was shot a scene as a character called Trella for Season 7 Episode 7, but this was later deleted during the editing process.
Since appearing in-game of thrones Annette has gone on to play Mabel Tapioca in CBBC'S "Worst Witch" Mabel is introduced to the series after the school cook "miss Tapioca" is caught stealing school supplies to aid her after she gets expelled from her previous school Amulet’s Academy.
After finding out Miss Cackle invites Mabel to come to Cackle's, to finish her education, where she studies as a second-year along with Beatrice, Sibil and Clarice
When Mabel arrives at Miss Cackle's it is clear to see that she has a better relationship with her businessman father who has offered to get her a place at Miss Pentangle's Academy. However, Mabel decides that although she & her mother don't always see eye to eye as they are both very stubborn leading to often arguments She will still miss her if she goes to miss Pentangles so takes up miss Cackle's offer.
Mabel is misunderstood & slightly mischievous when she arrives at the academy but soon finds her place & is able to make friends whilst working alongside Beatrice & her mum in the kitchen. She also goes into the making of & selling sweets and claims that Miss Drill is her best customer.
Q1: Most fairy tales & most modern fantasy stories or shows don't feature disabled. Do you think it is mostly seen as there being no point to this as most fantasy storytellers or filmmakers feel that people could just be cured by magic? with this reflecting the way they portray it on screen?
A:I do think that some writers, producers etc. do think that it can be healed which is why they have few disabled characters (Harry Potter as an example). However in some universes there might not be magic that can change it (i.e Worst Witch).
Q2:How did you feel coming into an already well well-loved cast? and did you do anything beforehand to prepare yourself for this?
A:Right after I auditioned for the show I binge watched season 1+2 to get a good grip of the world beforehand. When I first joined the cast I was extremely nervous because at the time I was the only new person there, but over time I got to know the cast and joined the family! Haha!
Q3:What piece of advice would you give a disabled person who wants to go into the entertainment industry?
A:Enjoy it! Take whatever’s given to you and always make an effort to find something. There may be some restrictions but usually there are ways around it. And again, enjoy yourself!
Q4:What has been your favourite part of working on the worst witch?
A: Working with the cast and crew and getting to act out emotional scenes. I love really deep scenes that I can sink my teeth into and being on set is always a blast as all the cast and crew are so nice, kind and funny.😊
Q5:How important do you think it is for disabled children to be able to see themselves being represented well throughout the media?
A: I think it’s ridiculously important for disabled children to get representation. When I was really young there were very few disabled characters onscreen and it was also a period of time where I was quite confused as to what my disability was. So young children being able to see someone that they can relate to can be and is really important for them and their growth.
Q6: One thing I love about how Mabel was introduced to the show was that no one mentions that she has dwarfism, it's just accepted. Do you think disability being portrayed in this way will help others to understand it better?
A:I do think it’s good that a big deal wasn’t made out of Mabel’s disability because it teaches children that it’s not something that should be mocked or laughed at and instead something that should be accepted and that people with disabilities are just like everyone else.
Once again a massive Thank you to Annette for agreeing to speak to me. These interviews have really opened my eyes & I hope I have been able to make you think as well & I hope you are enjoying reading these blogs as much as I am enjoying writing them.
