Marissa Bode ,Wicked star, is denouncing the “very gross, harmful,” and “aggressive” remarks she has heard regarding Nessarose’s disability since the Jon M. Chu musical film adaption debuted on November 22.
The actress shared her opinions on the “uncomfortable” things that have been going around online about the character in a five-minute video (below) that she posted on TikTok on Friday.
She wants to use her platform as a disabled person to draw attention to what she has read.
“It is absolutely OK to not like a fictional character,” she said. “I am going to be admitting my bias in the way that I have a lot of different feelings on Nessa than a lot of you do, and that’s totally fine. I think Nessa is complex, but that’s the beauty of art. Wicked and these characters and the movie wouldn’t be what it was if there weren’t different opinions on the characters and who’s truly wicked or not.”
She described herself as a “deeply” irresponsible someone who enjoys light-hearted, funny, and harmless jokes. Since Nessa is a fictional character, jokes regarding her behaviour or personality are acceptable. Jokes concerning her disability, however, are “deeply uncomfortable.”
“Disability is not fictional,” Bode continued. “At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. So, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.”
The actress clarified that many of the remarks are from strangers who are not disabled and contain a joke about not being able to walk, creating the impression that they are laughing at someone without sharing their laughter.
According to Bode, the most annoying issue is that she is afraid to discuss or post about such topics.
“This goes so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet,” she stated. “These comments do not exist in a vacuum. Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before.”
Having witnessed firsthand what has occurred to her classmates who have disabilities and have called out ableism, the actress acknowledged that she is also afraid because she has been told to “just take a joke” or “stop complaining.”
For their mental health, they have had to step back from content creation, which is unacceptable, she said.
Because they haven’t experienced it personally, Bode urged people to avoid discounting one another when they don’t believe an event can be real. Fortunately, she said, she is now at a stage in her life when she understands that jokes about people with disabilities “are made out of ignorance.”
“It would have affected younger me a lot more, and I’m worried that a younger version of myself is somewhere on the internet and is harmed by these comments,” she continued. “I do know and have seen, not in this specific instance, but similar comments be made on my disabled peers and disabled creators’ videos to the point where, again, it runs them off the internet. That’s not good. Please be kind.”
Bode concluded, “Lastly, I want to say one of the major themes within Wicked is having the ability to listen and to understand one another. And I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you.”
Part one of the musical’s big-screen adaption has broken multiple records since it opened, including the largest box office debut for a Broadway musical adaptation.