Lizzy Clark
Encyclopedia
Lizzy Clark is an actress from Shrewsbury
, England
. Clark's first role was that of Poppy in the film Dustbin Baby
. Both Clark and Poppy have Asperger syndrome
, and the BBC specifically searched for an actress with the condition to play the part. Since taking the role, Clark has become involved in her mother's Don't Play Me, Pay Me campaign, supporting and encouraging actors with disabilities.
in the BBC
film Dustbin Baby
, an adaptation of the Jacqueline Wilson
novel of the same name
. She played the part of Poppy, a teenager with Asperger syndrome. The BBC said that the fact Clark also had the condition offered her a "unique take" on the role. Clark was the first actress with Asperger syndrome to portray a fictional character with the condition. Clark auditioned for the role when her mother, Nicky, saw the position advertised on a website about autism. She said that she thinks "it's incredibly positive that the BBC chose to find an actress who has the same condition as the character."
Clark said that being on set was the best experience of her life, and though "at first it was a bit intimidating", she said that eventually you "stop noticing the cameras". She said that her "Asperger's made some things on the film set difficult at first, like dealing with the sudden noise of the storyboard, but I was soon so focused on acting that I didn't notice anything else." Nicky claimed Clark's role "was lovely for Lizzy; it was lovely for people with autism ... to show that anything is achievable." She also said that Clark's self-esteem was boosted by the role.
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." As part of the campaign, Nicky, who attended stage school herself, is asking stage schools to be more pro-active in encouraging the enrolment of students with disabilities. She does, however, accept that there is a "vicious circle", as television producers rarely display disability, meaning that actors with disabilities are discouraged from pursuing acting careers.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Clark's first role was that of Poppy in the film Dustbin Baby
Dustbin Baby (film)
Dustbin Baby is a BBC television film directed by Juliet May, based on Jacqueline Wilson's 2001 novel of the same name. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 December 2008. The film stars Dakota Blue Richards as April, a troubled teenager who was abandoned in a dustbin as an infant, and Juliet...
. Both Clark and Poppy have Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
, and the BBC specifically searched for an actress with the condition to play the part. Since taking the role, Clark has become involved in her mother's Don't Play Me, Pay Me campaign, supporting and encouraging actors with disabilities.
Career
Clark's first experience of professional acting came in 2008 when she starred alongside Dakota Blue RichardsDakota Blue Richards
Dakota Blue Richards is an English actress. Her debut was in the film The Golden Compass, as the lead character Lyra Belacqua....
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
film Dustbin Baby
Dustbin Baby (film)
Dustbin Baby is a BBC television film directed by Juliet May, based on Jacqueline Wilson's 2001 novel of the same name. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 December 2008. The film stars Dakota Blue Richards as April, a troubled teenager who was abandoned in a dustbin as an infant, and Juliet...
, an adaptation of the Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, DBE, FRSL is an award-winning English author, known for her vast and diverse work in children's literature. Her novels have been adapted numerous times for television, and commonly deal with such challenging themes as adoption, divorce and mental illness...
novel of the same name
Dustbin Baby
Dustbin Baby is a children's novel by English author Jacqueline Wilson. The story focuses on April, a fourteen year old girl who was abandoned by her mother in a dustbin when she was only a few minutes old. After a blazing row with her foster mother, she goes in search of her past...
. She played the part of Poppy, a teenager with Asperger syndrome. The BBC said that the fact Clark also had the condition offered her a "unique take" on the role. Clark was the first actress with Asperger syndrome to portray a fictional character with the condition. Clark auditioned for the role when her mother, Nicky, saw the position advertised on a website about autism. She said that she thinks "it's incredibly positive that the BBC chose to find an actress who has the same condition as the character."
Clark said that being on set was the best experience of her life, and though "at first it was a bit intimidating", she said that eventually you "stop noticing the cameras". She said that her "Asperger's made some things on the film set difficult at first, like dealing with the sudden noise of the storyboard, but I was soon so focused on acting that I didn't notice anything else." Nicky claimed Clark's role "was lovely for Lizzy; it was lovely for people with autism ... to show that anything is achievable." She also said that Clark's self-esteem was boosted by the role.
Don't Play Me, Pay Me
Prompted by Clark's role in Dustbin Baby, Nicky started the Don't Play Me, Pay Me campaign in attempt to stop actors "playing disabled". Nicky said that actors without mental disabilities playing characters with specific conditions is the "blacking-up of the 21st century", claiming 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". Clark is heavily involved in the campaign, and said that
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." As part of the campaign, Nicky, who attended stage school herself, is asking stage schools to be more pro-active in encouraging the enrolment of students with disabilities. She does, however, accept that there is a "vicious circle", as television producers rarely display disability, meaning that actors with disabilities are discouraged from pursuing acting careers.
External links
- Don't Play Me, Pay Me campaign website
- Lizzy Clark at IMDB