One thing I or not many other people see is how people with disabilities navigate life. There needs to be more media about those of us who are. Much like myself, as I have plans to be in an upcoming film called Cognizant Love which has me as lead actor playing a tailor made role as an autistic individual. However, there’s one eensy teensy weensy little itty bitty tiny small minor problem: Financing. But there have been some films made about people with autism that have made it out there, and actual autistic actors playing the roles, unlike some disasters, and some interesting yet vague films.
However, it’s not just autism that needs to be focused on. There’s also cerebral palsy, which I’m somewhat familiar with as I knew 2 people in school with it, and one of those people has been a long-term client for me for years. Well, now that disability is going to be showcased with the abilities it includes in the new upcoming series You’re My Hero, which released just recently. It tells a series of stories by a young man in his 20’s named Ian played by Sean Towgood. Unlike my client who is on the crutches, Ian has to coast through life with one of those cool electric wheelchairs. Ian is a pretty blunt character who gives some pretty witty humour, and his best friend/roomate Eric, who’s pretty kind but also very immature. He tends to cause trouble with his personality, but Eric is a good man willing to be there for his friends. Most of the time. I spoke to Vas Saranga about his character Eric and his experience on the set. It was a worthwhile conversation. So power up your wheelchair, and get ready for a ride of an interview. Just because the elevator is broken, doesn’t mean we can try an alternate route to answering questions.
HNMAG: So I’d like to know more about You’re My Hero. What was it like working with a creator/actor who had Cerebral Palsy?
Vas Saranga: It was a really smooth experience. It was also really fun, educational and informative. I didn’t know much about Cerebral Palsy besides what I had Googled, and Sean Towgood was very forthcoming in discussing the condition and how it affects his day-to-day life, how it factors into the show and his character Ian.
HNMAG: Sounds like you two really formed an incredible bond.
Vas Saranga: Yeah, absolutely. It actually started with us before we met, I already knew the executive producer Kevin Wallace, and we had overlapped and I pitched him some other ideas. He was somebody that was aware of my writing/acting work, and I was a big fan of the shows that he worked on. I was excited to work with Kevin, but I had never worked with Sean before. We just touched base on Instagram and sent voice messages back and forth to each other, leading towards the weeks up to the shoot before we’d actually end up meeting.
Vas said with the way they were communicating slowly became more similar to Ian and Eric’s dynamic on the show, with chatting and sharing little tidbits of their day as well as motivational tips.
HNMAG: Do you feel a series with humour will help make things more interesting in explaining life with a disability?
Vas Saranga: Definitely. I think humour is the way in to so many different issues, it’s something that can make a project far more relatable. Because of that there will be more word of mouth, more people will watch it, and you’re not being hit over the head with lessons. It’s not trying to put awareness of disability above storytelling, I think humour and awareness are just going together hand in hand in this series.
HNMAG: Did you learn a lot about other stuff besides Cerebral Palsy while working on this?
Vas Saranga: I definitely learned how to shoot quickly, how to really handle script changes. The three people writing were constantly rewriting scripts and would sometimes take input from the actors. A lot of script changes would be last-minute and we had to be very quick to memorize but we got the chance to play around with different variations of the scene. I also learned to feed off the energy involved and bring it to the screen.
HNMAG: What was it like playing such an interesting character with such impulsivity?
Vas Saranga: It was really fun, to be able to tap into that really impulsive nature of the character meant a lot of quick physical choices being made. I really got to banter off of Sean, play physically, and the character’s really immature so I actually had fun tapping into that other side of me. But there’s a lot of heart to Eric, so while he gets Ian into all kinds of difficult and ridiculous situations, that are made worse by the fact that Ian has to deal with accessibility issues in a world that is unforgiving.
Vas described Eric as a guy who is there to start the party, but is also there to see his friends through anything including rescuing them from certain sticky situations.
HNMAG: Have you had similar roles in the past?
Vas Saranga: I think this role is pretty unique in terms of where I tend to play characters that have a lot of intelligence, and I think this role kind of taps into another side of me that isn’t so smart. A little more impulsive, a little goofier, and just really really more heartfelt and innocent than the roles I’ve played before.
HNMAG: Would you say there should be more series like this, where the main character has a disability? Do you feel it will make things more interesting?
Vas Saranga: Absolutely. I think it really introduces a perspective that’s really underrepresented in screen stories. I think it helps to share those perspectives. It is diversity, diversity not just race, gender, or sexuality or any other number of things that get classified under diversity or inclusion. Having a physical disability is part of diversity so as we focus on diversity and inclusion, we need to include disability in that and put it front and centre.
HNMAG: And definitely have people with disabilities play these roles too.
Vas Saranga: Absolutely, you raised an even more important part which is the accurate and authentic representation of characters with disabilities being played by actors who have disabilities.
HNMAG: And do you hope to have more roles working with disabled actors in the future?
Vas Saranga: Yeah, certainly. I have a lot more to learn about inclusion, accessibility, and different disabilities that are out there, how they affect people day to day and how those lives are shaped by their experience. Also the unique perspective that gives them powerful stories.
HNMAG: What about lots more seasons of this? Will that be a hopeful possibility?
Vas Saranga: Yes! I definitely hope so, there’s a lot more story to tell with these characters. There’s definitely a cliffhanger at the end of the first season, so I think the door is open for more seasons to explore this series.
You ought to check out this comedy series now. It’s on CBC Gem so go take a look at the first episode or two and you just might want to watch the rest of them. It’s a funny and insightful series, and shows what living with cerebral palsy can be like, in an interesting manner. I hope we get some other series or even movies about other disabilities too. Maybe about Down Syndrome, or even Williams Syndrome.