Row over bomb victim movie role
THE makers of a new movie about a man who lost his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings have been slammed for not casting a disabled actor in the role.
Jake Gyllenhaal will play Jeff Bauman – who was severely injured in the 2013 attack and now uses prosthetic legs – in Stronger.
But the Ruderman Family Foundation, who support people with disabilities, said his casting was proof of “Hollywood’s ongoing systemic discrimination”.
The movie is directed by David Gorden Green.
Ruderman president Jay Ruderman: “By not even giving actors who are amputees the chance to audition for the role awarded to Gyllenhaal, Green effectively denied those with disabilities to even be considered.”
The Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions film is out in the UK in December