'Hudson & Rex' aims to get autistic representation right
Autistic actor Nolan Oehr plays the character Brian Jansen in 'Runaway Witness.'
By Louise Kinross
Producers of the Canadian police drama series Hudson & Rex reached out to Holland Bloorview for help writing an episode that involved an autistic character. Maddy Dever and Moira Robertson, autistic adults who are part of the ECHO Autism hospital team that trains clinicians in how to diagnose and care for autistic children, consulted on the script. They "proved to be invaluable," says Christina Jennings, chairman and president at production company Shaftesbury. "They reviewed early drafts of the script and shared notes with us. This process allowed us, as producers, to be respectful and accountable to the community that we had chosen to portray on television." BLOOM interviewed Dever about their experience.
BLOOM: This episode is about an autistic boy who witnesses a crime and loses the ability to communicate. How were you asked to help?
Maddy Dever: We had a long first conversation about the premise of the show, and we talked about autism and how we perceive it and our experiences. We wanted to make sure this character wasn’t a trope, and that the language and attitudes in the episode were respectful. We strongly recommended that they hire an autistic actor for the role, and that that person have someone on set to support them to ensure it was a good experience.
BLOOM: Was the storyline about an autistic boy seeing a crime and losing the ability to communicate as a result credible?
Maddy Dever: Yes. The character is a minimal speaker and communicates through drawings. After witnessing the crime he goes into a trauma shell and Rex, the dog, helps draw him out of that shell.
It’s quite common that a traumatic event can cause an autistic person to lose speech or stop speaking altogether. It happens to me when I experience high acute pain.
Rex can communicate with the boy in a way that humans can’t. He acts as a kind of intermediary to help the police and the boy’s mother encourage the boy to share what happened.
A week after our first conversation we received a script.
BLOOM: Was there anything problematic in that draft?
Maddy Dever: One thing we strongly urged change in was to make the single mother character stronger. Originally, she wasn’t able to understand well what her son needed. We said: ‘A single mother with an autistic kid knows that kid and is the expert on that kid.’ We really liked how they redid a second draft. We also made some suggestions about changing language. We haven’t seen the finished episode.
BLOOM: Why is it important that the show spoke to autistic people?
Maddy Dever: Script representation matters. It’s important for autistics to see themselves, and for parents to see their children portrayed authentically.
There are so many autistic characters in the media that don’t match reality. It’s important, for example, that non-speaking does not mean non-communicating. It’s upsetting when an actor who is not in any way autistic ‘imagines’ the experience of an autistic who is non-speaking. Autistics can convey the breadth and quality of autism, and the nuances and family dynamics.
The episode airs Monday Sept. 29 on CityTV at 8 p.m. Hudson & Rex is produced by Shaftesbury and Pope Productions.
Shaftesbury's Jennings shared more about the filming:
"It was really wonderful to work with Nolan Oehr, who plays Brian Jansen on this episode. At age 11, he had already been featured in more than a dozen productions. At Nolan's request, the crew wore nametags, and we were conscious to work as quietly as possible when he was on set. He brought his own experience to the role.
"His collaboration with director Harvey Crossland, as well as his screen partner Janet Porter who played his mother, were exceptional to see. Sherri Davis, the show’s dog master, has years of experience working with autism service dogs, and really made this experience with Rex a positive one."
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