SAG actor explains the importance of getting actors with disabilities screen time

From Associated Content:

According to the Screen Actors Guild "studies of television have shown that less than 2% of the characters on TV display a disability, but only one-half percent had speaking parts.

Many of the characters with disabilities on TV are portrayed in stereotypical ways of being a victim or deserving of sympathy. Rarely are people with disabilities allowed to develop into multi-dimensional characters."

Eddie McGee (pictured) recently was a guest star on "The Philanthropist", and has been seen in numerous roles including "Law And Order," "The Closer" and "Desperate Housewives." He is an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and is missing a leg.

"October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so it's important to be having these conversations now and to bring attention to the fact that people with disabilities are practically invisible in TV and film." he tells me as he sips a beer at a local bar.

He references a piece of paper which he has been given to discuss the I AM PWD CAMPAIGN - which is a major civil rights campaign supported by actors, performers, broadcast journalists, community and civil rights activists and volunteers to increase the visibility for persons with disabilities throughout the entertainment industry. I AM PWD stands for "inclusion in the Arts & Media of People with Disabilities."

"I get to play a lot of the same roles...and don't get me wrong, I love playing the Iraq war veteran, but I'd love to be considered for other parts."

Eddie initiated a lot of controversy when he played the suicidal character in WWE wrestler Chris Jericho's Fozzy music video.

"The director (Paul Hough) had apparently looked everywhere for an amputee actor to play the role but no one was willing to do it. At the time everyone he approached said it portrayed people with disabilities in a bad light. I thought that was crazy because what you have to realize is that people with disabilities are people too. We can be bad. We can be evil. We can be suicidal. That's what Paul was trying to say and he was certainly ahead of his time. So I jumped at the role. I did get some hate mail but I think that's good. For it made an impact on people and wasn't reinforcing stereotypes. The roles I look for now are the complete opposite of what you think I should be doing.

"In fact, the next film I have coming out is Paul Hough's The Human Race, in which I have to run a literal marathon. That was Hell but he has the guts and is such a visionary that he'll put something up on the screen that we've never, ever seen before. I would do anything to work with him again. Human Race in fact has some daring characters with other disabilities, portrayed in ways that we've never seen before. I can't wait for it to come out as it will certainly be controversial but ultimately will bring much discussion and hopefully be beneficial to PWD. In the meantime I wish that other writers would have the guts to write more cutting edge material rather than the safe fluff we tend to see too much."