Bethany to star in sci-fi movie

ACTRESS WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME IN DRAMA SET IN NEAR FUTURE

AN ACTOR who has Down’s syndrome has landed a lead role in a sci-fi film.

Bethany Asher, from Hinckley, has been cast in a short, Bebe A.I.

The film follows a young couple with Down’s syndrome and the discrimination they face while trying to adopt an artificially intelligent baby.

It is set in the near future, in a society in which everything is “Instagram perfect”.

Couples are able to adopt AI babies who grow into perfect adults.

Bethany, 25, said: “My mum is an acting teacher so I have always loved acting.

“I always wanted to jump on the stage when she was directing shows.

“I started my professional acting in 2018 after a visit to the set of one of my favourite shows, The Dumping Ground, on CBBC.

“I told mum it was what I needed to do, so she got me an agent.

“My first job was in BBC Doctors, where I played a featured role called Kerry. She was a stroppy teenager whose mum had died. It had lots of emotions to play.

“I’m so excited by this film. I want to show everyone the struggle that people with Down’s syndrome go through to be accepted.

“If you don’t look perfect, then you are tossed away like rubbish. This really has to change.

“I think the film highlights this well. It has come at just the right time.”

She urged young people with Down’s syndrome, or other disabilities, wanting to get into the industry to: “Go for it! Doing nothing gets you nowhere. My dreams came true and so can yours.”

The film was written by Alexandra Wain and directed by Rebekah Fortune, who runs Seahorse Films.

Rebekah said: “This is a prologue to the start of a feature film where we look to follow the AI baby growing up. The feature version will predominantly be cast by actors with disabilities.

“Bethany’s an incredibly professional actor and I’m really looking forward to working with her on the film.”

Rebekah, who is neurodiverse – a term that describes uniqueness in cognitive functioning – advocates for more inclusivity in film and on television.

She said there should be more roles for disabled actors, not focusing on the disability but reflecting everyday life.

She believes the reason neurodiverse cast and crew are missed from “the conversation” is because people are afraid of the unknown, and that it was important assumptions were not made about capability.

“Actors who are neurodiverse are still professional actors,” she said. “I have high expectations of them, but I’m still considerate, as I am with all actors.”

Rebekah said her aim was to rid the industry of “unconscious bias” against people with disabilities, and to ensure people who were cast as disabled characters were representative of those with the disability.

“People need to write with more characters with disabilities,” she said.

“The needs of neurodiverse people are not difficult to overcome. We need to have a more caring environment.”

Producer Lewis Faithfull said: “This is a really special project that the whole team are excited to be a part of. We’ve been in conversation with Mencap and the Down’s Syndrome Association to make sure we are doing the topic justice.

“We are doing a crowdfunder for the project. We’ve already secured some funding but are trying to raise more to make it the best it can be.”

The film will be out later in the year and the team hope to see it shown at Phoenix Leicester, along with other independent cinemas.