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Lived experience, Think Autism Sydney 2025
Autistic performers described casting rooms that judge them for being autistic
In short
A panellist told Think Autism Sydney in 2025 that casting agents and directors judge autistic performers. Michael Theo named the one director he said had truly given him a chance.
Read it instead, 4 minutesThe transcript
The story
One panellist was blunt about the casting room. Asked at Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 whether being autistic made it harder to find work, the panellist answered that it 100 per cent was, and that it was very difficult. Casting agents judge autistic performers, the panellist said, and “casting directors also judge you because you’re autistic”. They needed to stop the judgement.
The panellists, Heather Ridge and Michael Theo, both appeared on Love on the Spectrum. When Kyriakos Gold, who hosted the session, asked how the barrier looked to someone already seen on screen in a few things, a panellist said they were not happy about it either and fully acknowledged what had just been described, because “people on the spectrum have to work twice as hard to get chances, which is not fair at all”.
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Sources the story draws on
More from Think Autism Sydney 2025
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