A Media dis&dat note: I finally saw the pilot of "Covert Affairs" July 21. I think Christopher Gorham's (pictured) portrayal of a blind CIA analyst is stilted and unconvincing. And according to the plotline, the character he plays was blinded in the Iraq war so I don't foresee any flashbacks for him. That means a blind actor could have (should have) been hired for the role.Another thing I don't like about Gorham's character is that he is written as a super "supercrip," IDing all women by their perfume choice/scent, knowing what's going on when he isn't in the room to overhear things, etc.
I assume they gave the role to Gorham because he is an up-and-coming actor who drew a following when he was on "Ugly Betty." But "Covert Affairs" revolves around the Piper Perabo character so I wish the USA network would have shown some chutzbah and hired a qualified blind actor. Plenty of them are out there and they need more acting jobs!
Here's a longer assessment of the blind character at FWD/Forward (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward.
From Digital Spy:
The writers of new USA Network spy drama Covert Affairs have praised star Christopher Gorham.
The former Ugly Betty star plays Auggie Anderson, a CIA agent who was blinded on a previous mission. Both Matt Corman and Chris Ord singled out Gorham for his dedication to the role.
"Chris has done an amazing job of really throwing himself into trying to understand what it means to live as a blind person," explained Corman.
"He’s constantly meeting the Canadian Institute for the Blind. He’s talked to a lot of blind people. He himself is involved in crafting the space in which he works and in which he lives. He’s consulting our set designers as to how a blind person would actually have… a room and what they need to function properly."
"He’s a really gifted actor," agreed Ord. "He always has [the disability] in his mind and it’s been a great help to the show."
The pair also revealed that a disabled friend had inspired Gorham's character.
"In his case, he was paralysed. He was not blinded," said Corman. "But the accident was transformative for him in many ways terrible, but in some ways good. His character changed to a certain extent. He became more inquisitive, more open, in some ways more emotional, so that was the starting off place."
Gorham previously claimed that playing a blind character was "a real challenge".
Covert Affairs continues on Tuesdays at 10/9c on USA.
