Six famous artists whose convincing images of people with special needs have captivated viewers (12 photos)

Playing a mentally retarded character is not an easy task. You can't get by with just facial expressions or a tearful scene. You need to fully live the role, understand how your character thinks, how he reacts to the world and how the world reacts to him. Therefore, it is not surprising that many such roles become milestones in the careers of actors, and viewers believe in what is happening from the first frame.





Leonardo DiCaprio ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape", 1993)

Before "Titanic" cemented Leo's status as a star and heartbreaker, there was a film where he played a non-romantic hero. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a drama starring young DiCaprio as a special boy, Arnie, the brother of the main character played by Johnny Depp.



At that time, Leo was only 17 years old, and he conveyed the character of his hero so subtly, so sincerely, that many were sure that a real autistic person was filming in the movie.

His habits, speech, emotional outbursts and childlike spontaneity - all this looked frighteningly authentic. No falsehood, no overacting.





For his role as Arnie, DiCaprio received his first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor). The statuette slipped away, but viewers remembered that this guy can play anything, even if he is only 17.

Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump")

"Forrest Gump" is no longer just a movie, it is part of pop culture. The lines, scenes, music - everything has become iconic. But the main thing is Forrest himself. Kind, naive, devoted, he became a symbol of how a person with disabilities can become great simply because he has a big heart.



Tom Hanks played Forrest in such a way that there was no doubt that this guy was real. He was naive, trusting, but kind, and always extended a helping hand.

For this role, Hanks received an Oscar, and absolutely deservedly so, because to play such a character without grotesqueness and pity, with dignity and respect - it is worth a lot.



Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile")

"The Green Mile" is a simply amazing film, created by Frank Darabont based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. In the leading role here again Tom Hanks, but this time here he plays the main overseer, and not a character with special needs. And that very role of a person with special needs went to actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who played the big guy John Coffey.



There's a moment in The Green Mile when John Coffey says, "I'm tired, boss." And at that moment, the only thing not crying was a rock. A huge black man with the naive eyes of a child, capable of performing miracles, and yet accused of a terrible crime he didn't commit. And only Tom Hanks' character learned the real truth, but couldn't do anything about it.



Michael Clarke Duncan played his character with such poignant tenderness that it seemed he himself did not fully understand who he was and why he came into this world. This was not just the image of a mentally retarded person, it was the embodiment of goodness. And, of course, it could not have been without an Oscar nomination.

Sigourney Weaver ("Snow Cake")

The star of "Alien" Sigourney Weaver unexpectedly played an autistic housewife in the drama "Snow Cake". The main character named Alex (Alan Rickman) gives the girl a ride in his car. But here's the problem, they get into an accident and the girl dies.



Alex comes to a provincial town - not for himself, but for someone else's grief. He just wanted to fulfill his duty, meet the mother of the dead girl, give her the right words, things, support, if that's even possible. But when he meets Linda, played by the inimitable Sigourney Weaver, everything turns upside down.

Linda lives in her own world. She suffers from autism and can't cope with even the simplest everyday things: preparing a funeral, making a memorial table, sending out invitations. Alex sees this and can't leave. He stays, step by step taking on all the worries about the funeral, the wake, the house.



But here's what's truly amazing: a thin, unexpected thread of trust begins to run between him and Linda... and even friendship. Alex understands that behind Linda's external strangeness, her habits and unsettledness, there lives a soul that knows how to feel and respond. At the most difficult moment, they are both saved not by someone from the outside, but by this simple human concern: when you stay close, simply because you can't do otherwise.

Sigourney Weaver played this role without clichés. No excessive grimaces, no exaggerated strangeness - only the internal logic of a character who simply cannot do otherwise. And this caused even more respect, showing that autism is not a disease, but another reality that can be understood if you try.

Dustin Hoffman ("Rain Man")

When "Rain Man" with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman was released in 1988, no one could have imagined that a movie about two brothers, one of whom is autistic, would become a classic. But it did. And mainly thanks to Dustin Hoffman.



He played Raymond - an adult man living in his own world of numbers, rituals and trifles. His speech, gait, harsh reactions - all this looked as if Hoffman himself lived with autism. And when he receives his brother's loving touch - the audience freezes. Because for the first time, Raymond comes out of his shell.

Hoffman won an Oscar for this role, and the audience got a movie they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Sean Penn ("I Am Sam")

Sean Penn in the film "I Am Sam" played Sam - a man with the intelligence level of a seven-year-old child, who is raising his daughter Lucy. The girl who gave birth to Lucy decided that she was not ready to raise a child, especially with someone like Sam, so she simply disappears from their lives. Mentally retarded Sam has to raise his daughter alone until the guardianship authorities decide that the child would be better off in a foster family.



Sam is not a child prodigy or a superman. He just loves his daughter. He loves with all his heart, and despite the peculiarities of his development, he will do everything to get his daughter back.

Penn refuses pathos. He does not "play the sick man". He lives inside this person. His speech is hesitant, his smile is painful, his eyes are like those of a child who wants the world to become a little kinder.

The film shocked the audience. Yes, it did not receive an Oscar (Sean Penn, by the way, was nominated), but it became what "remains after the credits". People left the halls with tears in their eyes. They wrote letters. They shared stories. Someone dared to tell for the first time that they have a special child in their family. Because after “I Am Sam” it became a little easier to be yourself.



Each of these roles is not just a good game. It is a step towards those who are often overlooked. It is a reminder that every person, even the most “unusual”, has the right to life, love and acceptance.