Kate Hudson — who recently received a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in Sia‘s musical drama, “Music” — spoke to Jimmy Kimmel about the film’s backlash, emphasizing the importance of continuing conversations about representation of people with autism in media.
“I think when people see the film that they will see the amount of love and sensitivity that was put into it,” Hudson said. “But it is an important conversation to have and it’s not just about this movie as a whole, but about representation.”
“Music,” which also stars Leslie Odom Jr. and Maddie Ziegler, follows newly sober drug dealer Zu (Hudson), who receives news that she is to be the guardian of Music (Ziegler), her half-sister on the autism spectrum. The film has received a myriad of criticism, from critics and moviegoers alike, for not casting an actor with autism to play the role and its depiction of the use of restraint on Ziegler’s character, a practice that has been deemed harmful by the autism community, to name a few.
But Hudson said she and those involved with the film are listening to and encouraging dialogue about the film and its pitfalls.
“Nobody has really asked me [about the backlash], I’ve only been asked to comment on it through a quote,” Hudson said. “It’s not a soundbite conversation, I think it’s an ongoing, important dialogue to be had about neurotypical actors portraying neurodivergent characters. It is an important one to have with people who are experts and really know how to engage in the conversation, so I encourage it, really, truly. We are listening.”
Following the film’s Golden Globes nominations on Feb. 3, Sia tweeted that she had added a warning label to the film, particularly about its restraint scene, and simply said “I’m sorry.” She then deleted her Twitter account.
Watch Hudson’s full interview with Kimmel below.
