Those "jokes" aren't just about a disabled character ā they're about real disabled people.
Wicked star Marissa Bode is reminding audiences that their comments about her character, Nessarose, being in a wheelchair aren't as cute as they think. The out actor and Out100 honoree, who herself uses a wheelchair, said in a recent TikTok video that while "it is absolutely OK to not like a fictional character,ā making fun of her disability won't fly.
āDisability is not fictional,ā Bode said. āAt the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. And so, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.ā
āBefore even being cast in Wicked, I had received comments ā just as me, as Marissa, not Nessa ā around the words of āstand up for yourself,ā āI guess you canāt stand him,ā et cetera,ā she continued. āThese comments arenāt original, and when these jokes are being made by non-disabled strangers with a punchline of not being able to walk, it very much feels like laughing at rather than laughing with.ā
Bode is the first wheelchair user to portray Nessarose, the sister of Wicked lead Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), despite the character always being written to use a wheelchair. The actor said that the comments she's been hearing "do not exist in a vacuum" and go "so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet," as they could affect other wheelchair users.
"Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before," Bode said. "Thankfully, Iām at a place in my life today where I can recognize these jokes about disability are made out of ignorance. I couldnāt say the same about Marissa 10 years ago, and it would have affected younger me a lot more. And Iām worried that a younger version of myself is somewhere on the internet and is harmed by these comments.ā
To those who claim the comments are "just jokes," Bode emphasized the importance of listening to others and not āclaiming an experience canāt be true because you personally donāt feel that way about a joke that wouldnāt have affected your demographic anyways.ā
āOne of the major themes within Wicked is having the ability to listen and to understand one another," she concluded. "And I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you.ā
Wicked's Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater on the Very Queer World of Oz
