Wicked's Marissa Bode Slams Jokes About Her Character's Disability

The 24-year-old added that anterior to being formed arsenic Nessarose—whom galore find frustrating for not supporting her sister Elphaba amid her hard Shiz journey—alongside onscreen older sister Cynthia Erivo in the movie adaptation, she had been the people of ableist jokes.

"I had received comments—just arsenic me, arsenic Marissa, not Nessa—around the words of 'Stand up for yourself,' 'I conjecture you can't basal him,' et cetera," she explained. "When these jokes are being made by non-disabled strangers with a punchline of not being capable to walk, it precise overmuch feels similar laughing at alternatively than laughing with."

Representation is important but that’s not the lone happening that volition prevention the disabled community. I request a batch of y’all (non-disabled people) to bash the work. To dissect and unlearn your ain ableism. Listen to disabled people. Follow different disabled radical extracurricular of conscionable me. Read up connected the disablement rights movement/watch the documentary Crip Camp! I recognize nary 1 likes feeling similar they’re being scolded. But existent advancement ne'er comes with comfort. And that’s ok. #wicked #nessa 💗💚

Marissa, who is the archetypal wheelchair idiosyncratic to play the Shiz University student, emphasized that these remarks spell beyond the idiosyncratic person. 

"These comments bash not beryllium successful a vacuum," she said. "Aggressive comments of wanting to origin harm and propulsion Nessa retired of her wheelchair, oregon that she deserves her disability, are 2 precise gross and harmful comments that existent disabled people, including myself, person heard before."

She urged fans not to invalidate experiences they judge can't beryllium existent "because you personally don't consciousness that mode astir a gag that wouldn't person affected your demographic anyway."

Instead, she asked, "Listen to the radical oregon to the idiosyncratic that it is affecting and however it makes them feel."

Marissa besides emphasized that though she is astatine a constituent wherever she "can admit these jokes astir disablement are made retired of ignorance," it took clip to physique that confidence.

"It would person affected younger maine a batch more," she said. "I'm disquieted that a younger mentation of myself is determination connected the net and is harmed by these comments." 

She concluded her effect with the film's message, noting, "One of the large themes wrong Wicked is having the quality to perceive and recognize 1 different and I genuinely anticipation that is thing a batch of you tin signifier much and instrumentality with you." 

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