LONDON (AP) — Matthew Shardlake steps out of the pages of the late C.J. Sansom’s popular historical mystery novels and into a new show, bringing with him disability representation. “We don’t see a lot of leading disabled characters,” says Arthur Hughes, who plays the title character. “Well, we might, but they might not be played by disabled actors.” Shardlake is a clever lawyer who solves puzzles and problems during the reign of King Henry VIII. He is also disabled. The character is referred to as a “hunchback” by a rude rival in the books — an example of the attitude of the Tudor period, with no allowance or acceptance of differences. “I really hope the disabled audience can see that and see maybe some of the parallels with the world we live in today. And also just to show that that a disabled actor can play a leading part,” says Hughes, who was born with radial dysplasia. |
Stories of Different Tibetan Women Sharing Name of GoddessHighlights of Weightlifting matches at 19th Asian GamesVerstappen grabs pole in Japan for Red Bull oneWondrous Xinjiang: Women Entrepreneurs Embroider Golden Future for Rural WomenForeign Ministry gets new spokesmanAdvancing Rural Development Through Modern AgricultureWondrous Xinjiang: Chinese Folk Embroiderers Learn from, Inspire Each OtherChina Wins Women's Sitting Volleyball World Cup TitleMcBride helps Knicks cruise past Raptors 145Developing Smart Agriculture, Helping Farmers Increase Incomes