Erin Pritchard, Activist and Senior Lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool St John’s Hope University, reflects on changing attitudes to the casting and representation of dwarfism in mainstream media in light of her latest monograph, ‘Midgetism: The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism’. 

Recent media attention to several upcoming films and television shows, which predominantly feature characters with dwarfism has caused quite a stir. These include Wonka, Time Bandits and Snow White. All have seen significant changes, some for the better and some for the worst.

Wonka, due out at the end of the year, stars Timothee Chalamet as the sweetmaker. It is a prequel to the original story and thus includes how Wonka first came about the Oompa Loompas. The trailer features Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, who is referred to by Wonka as a ‘funny little man’. Whilst, using CGI, he is a lot smaller than the Oompa Loompas featured in the 1971 version of the story, he dons the same green hair and orange skin, which is enough to prompt people’s memories of them. Paramount Pictures is still insinuating that the character is short, but what is worse is that they are engaging with ‘cripping up’ to do it.

Cripping up has long been denounced by disabled people, especially disabled actors, as it robs them of employment opportunities, as well as their agency in regards to how their disability is depicted. Already, disabled people have to grapple with ableist assumptions about their condition, often created by non-disabled people, whether it be that their condition makes their life tragic and not worth living, or in the case of dwarfism as a figure of fun.

Not only does the non-disabled person create the representation, but they also get to reinforce it. The only part that the non-disabled actor does not have to deal with is the consequences of their actions. For example, it won’t be Hugh Grant who gets called an Oompa Loompa in the street, it will be someone like me. I won’t be the only person with dwarfism anticipating these behaviours. Drawing on the lived experiences of people with dwarfism, my research shows that cultural representations of dwarfism, encourage abuse towards us whenever we venture out in public.

Another example of cripping up is evident in the upcoming American fantasy adventure television series, Time Bandits, created by Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris, and Taika Waititi, based on the 1981 film of the same name directed by Terry Gilliam. Abbie Purvis, known for roles in the pantomime, has criticised the remake for casting average-sized actors for the roles previously played by actors with dwarfism, including her grandfather Jack Purvis. Whilst some argue that Time Bandits offers a more positive representation of dwarfism, it still constructs dwarfs as a separate race of people living in a different realm. Thus, to not reinforce problematic stereotypes, the depiction of dwarfism needs to change, not necessarily the actor.

In Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Snow White, the seven dwarfs have been replaced with magical creatures of all genders, ethnicities and most importantly heights. Only one ‘magical creature’ is to be played by someone with dwarfism. Thus, it is not cripping up, but a complete character overhaul. This promises to downplay the previous association of dwarfism with Snow White. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the most well-known representations of dwarfism, but one that constructs people with dwarfism as childlike and figures of fun. Thus, the changes help to promote a more up-to-date representation of dwarfism.

There is a lot to consider about these recent changes. Dwarfism is a disability, not a condition for filmmakers and average-sized actors to exploit. Nor should dwarf entertainers expect it to be used as an easy way into the entertainment industry.

A minority of dwarf entertainers, such as Dylan Postl, most famous for being a dwarf wrestler, complains that the changes to Snow White are robbing people with dwarfism of a job. I would like to make clear that these changes are not ‘robbing’ people with dwarfism of a job, something which I have stressed in my newest monograph ‘Midgetism The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism’.

Disney’s choice in replacing the dwarfs with magical creatures is a choice that brings hope to many people with dwarfism that filmmakers are finally realising that certain representations of dwarfism are outdated and belong in the past along with the freak shows. When Postl claimed that Disney’s changes to the film were ‘hurting the dwarfism community’ did he stop to think about how the animated classic encouraged people to mock people with dwarfism in society, hurting us all, not just the careers of a few, including himself?

It is about time that dwarf entertainers realised that acting is not an easy profession to make it within. There are plenty of talented average-sized actors, who have graduated from esteemed drama schools, such as Julliard, RADA and LAMDA, who can not get a lucky break, and therefore what makes people with dwarfism think that without any training they can just walk into a role? I get that roles such as Leprechauns and mythical dwarfs don’t rely on talent, but just people’s fascination with dwarfism, but just as we left the freak show in the past, it is about time that the construction of dwarfism as a spectacle was also left in the past?

It seems that a minority of people with dwarfism think that being in the entertainment industry is somehow their birthright. Of course, I can understand why. Even though I do not work in the entertainment industry, strangers often assume that I do, especially the pantomime, because dwarfism is seen more as a figure of entertainment than a disability. Thus up until recently, there has also been a stereotypical role for dwarfs to fill, not one that requires any talent, but just the right height. It puts dwarf entertainers in a precarious position as they cannot expect filmmakers to always reproduce stories featuring dwarfs in order for them to make a living. However, if a new show features a character who has dwarfism, then they should only be played by someone with dwarfism, but take the focus off their height, or at least provide a more positive representation.

Most depictions of dwarf characters, whether they be good or bad, are written by non-disabled people. If, as some people with dwarfism, seem to think that they are owed a career in the entertainment industry, why are they not creating their own roles, instead of dubiously relying on non-disabled writers, who often get it wrong? Or why aren’t they pushing to appear in more everyday roles, that do not depend on the culturally constructed entertaining presence of their dwarfism? As mentioned, we work in everyday occupations and thus everyday roles can help to normalise people with dwarfism.

For example, in 2022, Kiruna Stamell joined the cast of the BBC medical drama Doctors, where she plays receptionist Kirsty Miller. Kiruna is a trained performer and thus she does not rely on roles that focus on her dwarfism. Others, such as Peter Dinklage, Meredith Eaton and Mark Povinelli, also refuse to play stereotypical dwarf characters that impact our social standing.

Future roles featuring characters with dwarfism should always consider the possible impact on people with dwarfism in society, before the career interests of a few. If a role is derogatory, and is likely to impact the social standing of people with dwarfism, it should be altered or left in the past. It shouldn’t be kept just so a minority of dwarf entertainers can maintain their precarious careers, and it certainly should never be given to an average-height actor.