If you've been unhappy with a character who uses a wheelchair being played by an actor who doesn't on Glee, here's some promising news: An open online casting call has gone out for a child actor who uses a wheelchair to play the son of Paul Reiser (pictured) in a pilot for NBC. The casting call, seeking performers age 10-13, describes the character as "sweet, funny, really smart and upbeat. He loves sports, music, and everyone he meets -- especially adults. Inquisitive and with a mind like a steel trap, he remembers everything -- which can be good or bad! He can easily get anxious and sometimes gets a bit obsessively focused on things. And oh, he has used a wheelchair since birth." Not quite sure how you use a wheelchair at birth, but I applaud the intention.
A February 9 item in The Hollywood Reporter describes a pilot that is "in the vein of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and [stars] Reiser in a show based on his real-life family life," which would presumably be the pilot the casting notice is for. But wait -- does this mean that, in real life, Reiser has a child who uses a wheelchair? According to IMDb, the actor does have a son around the right age, but I haven't been able to find anything online as to whether he has a disability. Reiser is a supporter of the Wampler Foundation, which provides wilderness experiences for children with disabilities, so that may have inspired the character if there's no true-life connection. UPDATE: In the comments, Christine confirms that Reiser does have a son who uses a wheelchair. So if this pilot does get on the schedule and Parenthood sticks around, NBC will have two shows with child characters with special needs written by fathers of children with special needs. Nice trend.
If you have any more info about the pilot or Reiser's reason for creating this character, please share in the comments. And if you've got the right kid for the part, check out that casting call, which involves sending in a tape of your child performing a scene. It would be great if they could actually give a young wheelchair-user the part instead of getting a non-disabled child actor to fake it.
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Paul does have a disabled son. We met them at disneyland. and yes he uses a wheelchair