PHILADELPHIA:
Variety
While characters wearing eyeglasses — real or as props — are commonplace in movies and TV, hearing aids are seldom seen on the screen — especially on leading ladies.
That’s why actress Tessa Thompson was so honored to portray a strong woman character who wears the devices in the upcoming Rocky franchise spinoff, “Creed,” in theaters Nov 27.
Thompson plays Bianca, the love interest of title character Adonis Creed, and we learn early in the film she has degenerative hearing loss.
“People with disabilities are hugely underrepresented and not talked about enough in culture, particularly film culture,” Thompson said in a weekend interview in Philadelphia to promote the film.
The actress says the lack of these roles speaks to the way we perceive disability and perhaps contributes to a screen stigma about the wearing of hearing aids.
“We tend to think about it through our own lens as someone who is not disabled, we think of it as something so terrible, because we can’t fathom it for ourselves,” Thompson suggested.
That’s why it was important for the actress to play the character with a perfect blend of confidence in the present and optimism for the future. For example, she openly discusses her hearing loss with Adonis, while learning sign language in preparation for the inevitable day when she loses her hearing completely.
“I think it was important for Bianca to tell the story of someone doing the best that she can,” Thompson said. “Would she prefer to not be dealing with that at certain points? Yes. But she also maybe sees it as an opportunity, and it in no way makes her feel like she’s not capable.” (AP)