About this Short Film
Rachel Handler’s So You Wanna Be an Actor (United States, 2021) is a short that sits comfortably in our Focus on Ability programme. Rather than offering a story summary, the film explores themes around acting, viewpoint and perception, and the presence of young people with physical disability. It draws attention to how a group dynamic and the experience of an amputee performer can shape what we notice on screen. Warm and observant in tone, the piece invites audiences to rethink assumptions about ability and performance. A concise, thoughtful contribution to the festival, it highlights the diversity of talent and perspective in contemporary short cinema.
Film Details
Film Transcript
Hi everyone, I'm Addie, the acting coach, and today I'll be coaching Michaela, a young actor, star on the rise with extreme potential in the industry. And I should know—she wears a prosthetic leg just like moi. Hey, my eyes are up here. It's ringing.
Michaela. Hello. Hi. Miss Daddy? Just Addie, please. What, am I a dance teacher? Please, please pretend I'm just not here. Right, right.
So, Michaela, why acting? Well, it's really fun. As amputee actors, our biggest challenge is to expand beyond our own human experiences and fun so we can play fascinating props.
What now? Here's the good stuff. Right? Whoops. There are four categories of roles for disabled actors. The first: dead body.
Damn it. Another dead body under another SUV. Call it in. Ew. Okay, it may not be glamorous, but it did pay for my health insurance.
Next category: hospital patient. Medication time. Yum. Um, no thank you, pass. I think it's going really well.
Now this third category is for when you're older. Oh—like a doctor, teacher, Disney princess? Close. It's military veteran. This character will either be super angry or suicidal or both. I wanted scam. Hard pass. Yeah, I thought that one might not go over well.
Last category: victim—not dead, just in general. I'm too pretty to be a zombie.
Let's do an exercise. Look around like someone's following you. Look. Now scream like you're scared. Ah. Exhilarating, right? Wrong. I don't want to do any of this. Why would you want to do this? It's acting; it's bogus. You're a teacher, a painter, a friend. You probably got friends. Don't you want to do those things? Like, shouldn't we get to be more than just four categories?
Yes, Michaela, we should, but that's not how it works. There's lots of money, risks and excuses. The industry's complicated. Then let's change it. Smash those trophies.
Hi—uh, uh, I don't think I caught your name. Maria. We need to make a movie. I'll play undercover spy and you'll play my teacher. Like a teacher coming back from war. No, with cancer. No, just a teacher. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess I have a lot to learn or unlearn.
So. Do. Bye.
Filmmaker
Rachel Handler is the filmmaker behind this entry. See every Focus on Ability entry from Rachel Handler.
