Lizzy Clark
| Lizzy Clark | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 April 1994 Shrewsbury, England, United Kingdom[citation needed] |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 2008–present |
| 🌐 Website | http://www.dontplaymepayme.com/[dead link] |
Lizzy Clark (born 3 April 1994)[citation needed] is an English actor. Clark is best known for playing the role of Poppy in the 2008 television film Dustbin Baby. Both Clark and Poppy have Asperger syndrome.[citation needed]
Career[edit]
Clark's first experience of professional acting came in 2008 when they starred alongside Dakota Blue Richards in the BBC film Dustbin Baby, an adaptation of the Jacqueline Wilson novel of the same name. They played the part of Poppy, a teenager with Asperger syndrome. The BBC said that the fact Clark also had the condition offered them a "unique take" on the role.[1] Prior to coming out as non-binary, Clark was considered the first actress with Asperger syndrome to portray a fictional character with the condition.[2] Clark auditioned for the role when their mother, Nicky, saw the position advertised on a website about autism.[1]
Don't Play Me, Pay Me[edit]
Prompted by Clark's role in Dustbin Baby, Clark's mother started the Don't Play Me, Pay Me campaign in attempt to stop actors "playing disabled".[2] Their mother said that actors without mental disabilities playing characters with specific conditions is the "blacking-up of the 21st century", saying that "we need to break down these barriers. They're unacceptable and indefensible in a modern-day society, especially when there are so many good, disabled actors who are both ready, eager and able to take on these parts".[2] Clark is heavily involved in the campaign, and said that[2]
It is not just mentally disabled actors who lose out when non-disabled people are employed to act them. Audiences think they are getting an authentic portrayal of a mentally disabled person, but they're not. It's not like putting on a different accent or learning what it was like to be raised in a different era. You can't understand what it is like to have a mental disability unless you've really lived with it. When non-disabled people try to portray us, they tend to fall back on stereotypes that have done our community so much harm in the past.
Targets of the campaign include setting up a forum for mentally disabled actors, and "to see disabled actors playing parts where the least interesting thing about them is their disability."[2] As part of the campaign, their mother, who was an aspiring actress herself, asked stage schools to be more pro-active in encouraging the enrollment of students with disabilities.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Clark is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.[4] Clark was diagnosed with autism at the age of 11 and also has complex anxiety disorder and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).[5] Their younger sister Emily, nicknamed Emmy, is also on the autism spectrum, in addition to having learning disabilities and epilepsy.[6] Their mother Nicola, nicknamed Nicky, was also diagnosed with autism in 2015 and is active as a campaigner on disability issues.[7][8]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Fame for actress with Asperger syndrome". BBC. 16 September 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hill, Amelia (2009-11-15). "Mentally disabled actors are victims of modern 'blacking-up', says campaigner". The Observer.
- ↑ Hemley, Matthew (9 December 2009). "Drama schools must do more to attract disabled students, says campaigner". The Stage.[dead link]
- ↑ Clark, Lee. "@lizzyleeactor". Twitter. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ↑ Clark, Nicky [@MrsNickyClark] (11 December 2021). "Our oldest diagnosed autistic at 11 & living with serious mental illness, complex anxiety disorder & PCOS was denied PIP as Lee can 'make a sandwich'. Meanwhile it's been 'pandemic party time' over at DWP HQ. This has made me pretty angry" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Clark, Nicky (26 October 2012). "Because I love her I have to let her go". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ↑ Clark, Nicola (30 August 2016). "I was diagnosed with autism in my 40s. It's not just a male condition". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ↑ Clark, Nicky. "About". Nicky Clark. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
External links[edit]
- Don't Play Me, Pay Me Campaign Website Archived 13 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Lizzy Clark on IMDb
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