Rick Glassman, Sue Ann Pien and Albert Rutecki of As We See It
Autism Awareness
In celebration of World Autism Month, enjoy an exclusive photo of the cast of As We See It , the acclaimed Prime Video series with a cast led by neurodiverse actors, and a selection of stories spotlighting neurodiversity.
April is World Autism Month, and today — April 2 — is World Autism Day.
Television has presented many stories about, or featuring, neurodiverse characters, with a marked increase over the past decade, both scripted and unscripted.
In the scripted space, neurodiverse characters have often been played by neurotypical actors, including the 2010 HBO movie Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes in the title role of the renowned scientist and animal behavior expert, and The Good Doctor, the ABC series about a surgeon with autism played by Freddie Highmore.
More recently, however, there has been an increase not only in programs with neurodiverse characters but neurodiverse performers. They include the Freeform dramedy Everything's Gonna Be Okay, which featured major roles played by performers with autism, including Josh Thomas (who also created the show), Kayla Cromer and Lillian Carrier.
One of the most notable among recent productions is As We See It, the Prime Video drama from executive producer Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood). Based on the Israeli series On the Spectrum, As We See It adopts the same premise — the relationships between three young adults with autism who are roommates in an apartment, their family members and others close to them.
The three characters are played by actors on the spectrum: Rick Glassman as Jack, Sue Ann Pien as Violet and Albert Rutecki as Harrison.
In addition, Katims — who is the father of a son with autism — cast neurodiverse actors in supporting roles and included neurodiverse individuals on the production staff. The result is one of the most authentic and representative depictions of people with autism and they way they interact with others ever presented on television.
Emmy magazine will present an in-depth feature about As We See It in an issue to be published in June.
In the meantime, as we recognize the unqiue gifts of people with autism throughout this month, we wanted to provide an advance look at the cast from the emmy photo shoot by lensman Ian Spanier, and to direct readers to information about programs related to neurodiversity and previous stories on the subject from the magazine and the Television Academy website.
Lillian Carrier — Everything's Gonna Be Okay
My 7 Shows With Them: The Scare's Pam Grier
