Promising newcomer Kiera Allen, who is in a wheelchair in real life, has joined co-star Sarah Paulson, co-writer and director Aneesh Chaganty, and co-producer Natalie Qasabian for a chat about the movie.
The film stars Paulson and Allen as a housebound mother-daughter duo, giving off Misery vibes. After terrifying fans on Ryan Murphy’s Netflix show, Ratched, Paulson plays an overprotecting mother on Run. But her character Diane is keeping a dark, sinister secret from her teenage disabled, home-schooled daughter Chloe, played by Allen.
Run Is A Huge Moment In Disability Representation
The actress explained what Run means to the disabled community as the first major thriller to cast an actress in a wheelchair in more than 70 years.
“This movie is a huge moment in terms of disability representation,” Allen said.
“Beyond that, there is also the fact that it’s a beautiful story and a wonderful representation of a disabled character,” she added.
She furthermore said: “I feel so grateful to be a part of this film, to be a part of this moment.”
Allen also said that she hopes to see more complex disabled characters played by disabled actors in the future.
“I hope it’s just a start, I hope that this starts to normalize casting disabled actors,” she said.
She also gave a shout-out to other disabled performers she has been working with, including Ali Stroker, the first actress in a wheelchair to be nominated for and win a Tony Award.
“It’s more than time, it’s long overdue,” Allen added about casting disabled actors in those roles depicting disabilities.
Sarah Paulson Had Nothing But Kind, Enthusiastic Words For Kiera Allen
Paulson had kind words for Allen, a star in the making.
“The thing I really took away from this movie and the experience of making it was getting to watch the moment when Kiera Allen became […] the next great actress,” the American Horror Story star said.
“It was a really profound thing to bear witness to and to know that I was sitting there and I got to have a real front row seat to the magic that she’s capable of creating,” Paulson also said.
Run is streaming on Hulu