Defying Ableism: How Wicked Actress Brings Light to Self-Advocacy and Positive Representation to the Disability Community
The adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, was brought to the big screen and was a massive success in theaters. In the movie, Elphaba, a young girl who is misunderstood due to the green hue of her skin, meets Glinda, a girl who is used to privilege and has an unwavering desire to be popular at Shiz University. Elphaba does not know her true power and Glinda does not know her true heart. They form an unexpected, yet deep friendship. After meeting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship takes twists and turns. They both forge different paths. The movie follows a dynamic cast of characters, including Nessarose, Elphaba’s sister.
Marissa Bode made her film debut in Wicked, playing the beautiful sibling of Elphaba, Nessarose, who is a wheelchair user. She is the first actress in the musical’s history to portray the character who is a wheelchair user herself off screen. Bode became a wheelchair user when she was 11 years old after a car accident. She started acting at a young age and graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles.
Marissa Bode earned the role of Nessarose in the movie adaptation of Wicked through an open call audition. The producers had very specific characteristics they were looking for in an actress to play the role. They needed someone young, beautiful, soft, but could handle the dark aspects of the character as the movie plot unravels. Another important part of choosing the actor is that they wanted a wheelchair user to play the role. Bode checked all the boxes.
The producers of the movie wanted to make the experience of Nessarose, a wheelchair user as authentic as possible by having someone play the role who has the same lived experience. Bode stated, “specifically casting a person with a disability in a disabled role is very important to add that extra layer because nobody knows us better than us. It can 100% make a community feel a little more loved and a little less isolated and not just think that I am the only one out there that looks like me.”
The producers of the movie also made sure to check-in with Bode when making accommodations on set. The wheelchair used in the movie was modeled after the wheelchair that Bode uses in real life. This allowed her to ambulate the movie set in the most comfortable and efficient way. The intricate look of the wheelchair to make it blend in with the beautiful backdrop of Oz came later. There was also a disabilities coordinator on the set to make sure accommodations were being met and things were always accessible to everyone. It was important to them that Bode was seen for who she is and was respected for what she needed.
Outside of her acting career, Bode is an outspoken advocate for the disability community. She often mentions that she wants to use her platform to educate others about disability. Representation in a production as popular as Wicked is extremely important. It highlights and shows that people with disabilities are just as able, valuable, and talented as anyone else. “I think whatever your identity is coming in to play a role, your lived experience is always going to add a specific layer to that character,” said Bode. Bode is also a strong advocate for standing up to ableist comments that are seen much too often online.
What is ableism?
According to The Center for Disability Rights, “Ableism is a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other”. Ableism is something that is unfortunately embedded into our everyday culture. It can have harmful effects on the disability community, including:
- Discrimination in the workplace
- Inequality in services, housing, and employment
- Creating a stigma that people with disabilities are incapable of everyday tasks
- Creating fear for a person with a disability to share their lived experience because they fear discrimination
- A person with a disability may have a lower self-esteem and quality of life due to ableism
Ableism does not just exist in big, obvious ways. We may say or do things that promote ableism in our everyday life, without the intention to do so. Some examples of that are called “microaggressions”. This includes the way we speak, how we plan things, and how the world is set up. Some examples include:
- Planning events without keeping accommodations in mind
- Using speech that uses a specific disability in an inappropriate way, such as: “I am OCD about cleaning my house,” “that person is crazy,” “something is “falling on deaf ears,” “I’m so bi-polar today”
- Speaking to a person with a disability like they are a child, with the assumption they don’t understand you
- Not speaking to someone who has a disability directly
- Not providing closed captioning in a movie or presentation
- Framing the idea of disability as either “tragic” or “inspirational”
- Using a handicap accessible bathroom stall when you do not need to
- Petting a service animal
- Touching a person’s mobility device without permission
Ways to avoid ableism within the disability community:
The topic of disability can be difficult for some because ableist language, biases, and perceptions have been embedded into our culture. For example, expressions that we have heard many times, such as “falling on deaf ears”, “turning a blind eye”, and “I feel so crazy today” can be perceived by the disability community as hurtful. It can paint disability in a negative light. Our words matter. How we treat other people matters. Being mindful of our own behaviors can make a difference. Other ways that we can actively work to avoid ableism are:
- Educate yourself about ableism.
- Hold yourself accountable about what you say, think, and how you act towards the disability community.
- Hold others accountable as well. If you hear negative, even hateful speech towards a person with a disability, say something about it.
- Avoid using language that suggests that a person needs to be “fixed”. Having a disability is part of who the person is, and that person does not need to change themselves for the world to accept them.
- Listen to people when they request accommodations.
- Don’t speak on behalf of a person with a disability unless they specifically ask you to.
- Keep accommodations a priority when planning an event so everyone can be involved.
- Make sure people with disabilities are included in the decisions being made about their needs.
- Listen to the voices who have lived experience of disability, they know best. Ask how they feel about certain situations, speech, phrases, and interactions with other people.
- Don’t assume someone needs help because they have a disability. A person who has a disability may be completely independent, but they may complete the task in a different way. Ask someone before you do a task for them, or hand them something from a shelf.
- Assume competence and ability first, always. Be aware of respecting someone’s adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs, white canes for a person with a vison impairment, communication devices, or service animals, just to name a few.
Consider these examples. ALWAYS ask if a person needs assistance and if it is OK if you push their wheelchair to help them ambulate before touching it. Ask before moving someone’s white cane. If it would happen to be in a place that could be unsafe, don’t just pick it up and put it somewhere else without their permission. Finally, if someone has a service animal, and they are actively working, it is important to respect that and refrain from petting them. Any equipment that a person who has a disability uses to help them navigate life is considered an extension of themselves. It should be treated as such.
There is so much work to be done to eliminate ableism. Let’s wholeheartedly save a seat at the table for everyone equally. What’s a good place to start? Keep conversations going. Make ourselves accountable for our own behavior. Advocate for others around us when we see someone show ableist behavior.
During the University of Wisconsin-Madison 2025 Black History Month Keynote, Bode stated “My disability is not the problem, it’s accommodations not being met. It’s people not seeing me always truly and fully as a human being or talking to me like I’m five or talking to the person next to me rather than talking directly to me or not looking me in the eyes.” This is something we can work hard to end.
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