Last year, ABILITY Magazine was asked by Netflix casting to find a young lead actress for their new series “The Healing Powers of Dude“.
Netflix was interested in casting authentic actors. Already finding their lead actor that has anxiety disorder (Jace Chapman), they were having a hard time finding a young girl that was a wheelchair user.
Using the powers of ABILITY Magazine and abilityJOBS, we put the word out for a 9 to 13 year old girl that authentically uses a wheelchair, and received over 550 submissions. We sent them to Netflix’s casting team. One of the submissions came from Andrew Kim, proud father of Sophie, and, as they say, the rest is herstory. Sophie got the role of her lifetime.
Sophie Jaewon Kim was cast as Amara. As of Jan. 13th Netflix viewers can see a more inclusive entertaining experience.
When an 11-year-old boy with social anxiety disorder starts middle school, he finds strength in a scruffy emotional support dog named Dude. Starring: Jace Chapman, Larisa Oleynik, Sophie Jaewon Kim and Tom Everett Scott. Created by Erica Spates and Sam Littenberg-Weisberg
Today our work assisting Netflix and other casting offices has lead to the development of a new website. Stay tuned as ABILITY Magazine, abilityJOBS and partners will bring new access for talent to the entertainment industry.
