The New Film Music Faces Backlash from Autism Advocacy Groups

Kate Hudson’s latest movie has touched a raw nerve with autism advocacy groups.

Kate Hudson is facing a lot of backlash from autism advocacy groups after her latest film role. Music, a 2021 musical drama which was directed by singer-songwriter Sia. Starring Kate Hudson, the film follows Zu, a recently sober drug dealer who becomes the guardian of her younger sister, Music, a young woman on the autism spectrum.

The problems with Music begun with their portrayal of autism. Rather than hire an actor on the autism spectrum, Sia decided to go with Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler, a neurotypical actor, as a nonverbal teen with autism. Many autism advocacy groups believe that an actor on the autism spectrum should have been hired to play the role.

According to CNN, Sia defended her decision (in tweets which have since been deleted), explaining, “I actually tried working with a beautiful young girl nonverbal on the spectrum, and she found it unpleasant and stressful. So that’s why I cast Maddie” and urged all her fans to watch the movie before judging it. She also tweeted that she hired “thirteen neurotypical people and three trans folks” for non-stereotypical roles.

Kate Hudson had the following to say in response to criticism following the premiere of the movie. “I think when people see the film, they will see the amount of love and sensitivity that was put into it,” she began. “But it is an important conversation to have, and it’s not just about this movie but, you know, about representation. For me, when I hear that there’s anybody that feels left out, I feel terrible. It’s not a soundbite conversation. I think it’s an ongoing important dialogue to be had about neurotypical actors portraying neurodivergent characters.”

“We are listening, and it’s an important dialogue to have,” she added.