Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) went on an angry rant last month. He claimed that filmmakers and the popular culture had disrespected the dwarfism community, including by continuing to include dwarfs as characters in films such as the Disney remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The rant led to Disney cave and completely eliminating dwarfs from remake. This robbed actors with dwarfism jobs and career opportunities.
Dinklage is now the public representative of dwarfism.
Dinklage’s rant took aim at the new Disney remake for being “progressive” by casting a Latin actress to play Snow White but then stopped short when it came to the dwarfs, which he said were treated insultingly as they were portrayed as goofy creatures who lived in a cave.
“Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,” said Dinklage on fellow actor Marc Maron’s podcast. “You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f – – king backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f – – k are you doing, man? Do you think I have done anything for the cause other than my own soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
(READ: Disney Ditches Potential Dwarfism Community Actors After Peter Dinklage’s Woke Rant Over ‘Snow White’ Remake)
After Disney announced it would replace the dwarfs with “mythical creatures,” people began lashing out at Dinklage for his thoughtlessness, and the loudest voices are now coming from the dwarfism community.
Dylan Postl of WWE took to the Daily Mail to attack Dinklage as he tried to get good publicity for America. America will move on, but he and those in dwarfism have the potential to find work.
Dinklage said he has a problem with the way Snow White — a classic, cherished fairy tale — portrays dwarfs.
Well, I don’t have a problem with Snow White.
Dinklage is too high-up and focuses on the jobs that so many other dwarfs in entertainment would love to take over. This bothers me.
Seven tiny people are now out of work.
Who was the one who made Peter Dinklage King among the Dwarfs, and why? This irritates me.
Postl attacked cancel culture. He said that it forces corporations to follow the desires of a few and ignore the needs and feelings of all. He also defended the story, noting that the dwarfs didn’t live in a cave, but a cottage and were incredibly rich as they were jewel miners. The dwarfs weren’t interchangeable, but were individuals with distinct personalities.
He asked who it was that Disney was talking to exactly, because it didn’t seem to be talking to people from the dwarfism community or representative organizations.
“Did they call the Little People of America Association? They spoke to people of average height? I know that they didn’t call me,” said Postl.
Postl said there’s nothing wrong with taking an acting job made specifically for little people, but Dinklage and Disney seem to be pushing that out in a move of sheer thoughtlessness.
“It’s not demeaning or degrading to take a role that is specifically made for a little person. But that’s exactly what Dinklage and Disney want to get rid of,” wrote Postl.
He’s not the only one speaking out either. The Daily Mail reported that Choon Tan and Zita Ferry from the UK are both actors who have previously starred as Dwarfs in Snow White Productions and felt the experience was “inclusive and magical,” and that Dinklage’s rant only served to limit opportunities in the dwarfism community after he himself was able to become rich and famous for doing exactly what he’s bashing now.
Choon warned that this will lead to people thinking that dwarfism actors are wrongly being chosen for these roles, and that it could rob the community of many jobs.
There won’t be as much opportunity for actors like me to get by over the Christmas periods.
‘And I think it will have a knock on effect because other people might think it might be derogatory to have a dwarf in a certain role.
‘I’ve had people that have hired me for entertainment and stuff and they have that concern as well, where they’re like ‘Oh, we weren’t sure if we were going to book you’.
‘But don’t feel bad about it because I don’t feel bad as long as you’re being respectful. I’m here, I’m getting paid and this is supporting me in my life.
Zita mentioned that Dinklage was a dwarf actor and made his living from it.
Zita, meanwhile, who was in a Snow White pantomime in December in Whitley Bay said: ‘I honestly feel that the shows are good for little people such as myself, if Disney didn’t use dwarf actors I do feel it takes that away from us.
‘The entertainment industry is the biggest positive we have in our position. Peter Dinklage was a huge success in Game of Thrones. This series saw him being referred as in many derogatory terms.
‘If he was so against the use of the term dwarf or similar, or even dwarf actors would he have been in the series at all?’
Dinklage’s hypocrisy is on full display but now so is his folly. Dinklage might have believed he was trying increase respect for the dwarfism community, but instead he hurt actors in it. He deserves to be called out and slammed for this, but the fault also lies with corporations like Disney who continuously cave the moment anyone so much as hints that woke culture won’t take kindly to something.
People are hurting by their virtue signaling. Disney must withdraw their plan to remake the story. They should also cast actors who are from dwarfism communities. Dinklage needs an apology.
About Post Author
