Its not like disabled actors havent existed, Yates adds.
Im even seeing it now, Yates notes.
SELF: InPulse, you play a doctor who is in a wheelchair.
Courtesy of Netflix
The storyline reveals that your character suffered an injury that caused her to become paralyzed.
But in real life, you use a chair because you have cerebral palsy.
How has living with this condition played a role in your acting career?
It wasnt until I got to graduate school that I realized how intertwined they are.
I went to Yale, and their acting program is very body-focused.
Is that because you were never given tools to connect with your body?
Do you think it requires more of a conscious effort to do that as someone with a physical disability?
Sincecerebral palsyis considered a pediatric disease, my physical therapy was only covered by insurance before I turned 18.
During my last years of PT, they were having me create my own workout plans.
So when I got to grad school, I came up against this huge wall.
I realized there was so much about my body that I didnt know.
What did you do to start learning and getting more in tune with your body?
I always had a built-in spotter.
It feels a lot more hard-earned.
And especially as an actor, I dont want to just get in, get out.
I want to strengthen the mind-muscle component in every workout.
In New York, theres a lot of white-knuckling.
Its a lot of putting up with things in your day-to-day because you have to survive.
Its kind of the mecca of health and wellness…or so it purports.
I got here and was like, Im going to find a trainer.
But no one wanted to work with me.
It feels a lot more hard-earned.
And especially as an actor, I dont want to just get in, get out.
I want to strengthen the mind-muscle component in every workout.
What reason did they give?
Just that they didnt feel qualified to work with you as a person with a physical disability?
I got a lot of, Oh, well, you should see aphysical therapistinstead.
I didnt feel that my goals were any different than any of their other clients.
And yet I felt boxed out of that whole world.
But I dont take [group] classes.
So I will deliberately make myself smaller in those situations.
And then what am I paying for?
And now I feel like Im a part of that community.
They know me there, they got a ramp, its great.
But it took several months for me to be able to do that.
A film set, especially on a soundstage, can be one of the most accessible places.
The dollies need just as many smooth, flat surfaces as I do.
Do you still sometimes feel like your acting and your body are separate entities and not really working together?
Or has your connection with fitness helped merge the two?
I think its ever-evolving.
For example, Ive always had an issue crying.
I wasnt holding tension in my body.
I was just kind of tired and ready to move on to the next.
And it happened so organically because my body was just so relaxed.
And I was like, Oh, thats the thing.
Thats what I have been searching for.
I just felt so much freedom and it wasnt about my own emotional junk.
I wasnt pulling from any sort of trauma.
I was just open enough to let myself be impacted by a situation.
And its all because my body was just tired.
Since then, Ive been chasing that physical relationship of just openness.
Tell me what it was like filmingPulse.What was the accessibility like on set?
A film set, especially on a soundstage, can be one of the most accessible places.
But there are a lot of things on wheels on a film set, and thats a good thing.
The dollies need just as many smooth, flat surfaces as I do.
Were there any specific accommodations they made ahead of time or parts of the setup that you appreciated most?
Ive never really been able to get in and out of a hair and makeup trailer.
On previous shows that Ive done, it would usually be that hair and makeup would come to me.
I was like, What?
And he was like, Yeah, thats where all of the socializing happens.
Thats where the magic happens.
So the fact that they thought of this before I even could was huge to me.
Why do you think the industry, in general, is so unfriendly to people with disabilities?
I think that people assume its going to be a lot harder than it is.
Fear is probably the biggest barrier.
I get seen for way fewer roles because you need a willing creative team.
Fear is probably the biggest barrier.
People make a lot of their choices based on what theyve seen reflected in the media.
How do we address those questions if we dont see disability on screen?
And because its taboo to actually look at it and ask questionshow does this person go about their life?
How are they a doctor?
Also, seeing disability on screen is incredibly interesting.
Its incredibly theatrical and its incredibly compelling.
So its just really watchable and really interesting.
Pretending that disability isnt there means were losing out on really interesting stories.
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