Rose Ayling-Ellis is keen on seeing an "incidentally deaf" character in a period drama.
Rose Ayling-Ellis is keen to see more representation
The ex ‘EastEnders’ star - who is deaf - “would love” to watch a series where someone’s disability is just another part of their personality and not their whole arc, and ideally would showcase real diversity.
The 28-year-old actress told the Radio Times magazine: “I would love to see a character in a period drama who is incidentally deaf, and I want disabled characters who are older, male and not white.
“At the moment, disability is seen as being vulnerable so it looks ‘better’ for a woman to be disabled.”
Rose admitted that before she snagged the Glitter Ball trophy on the 2021 edition of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ with her professional partner Giovanni Pernice she was “fighting for opportunities” but now she hat to bat them away.
She said: “Before Strictly I was fighting for opportunities. Now I get so many opportunities that I have to say no to a lot.”
Rose - who is fronting a BBC One documentary on deafness called ‘Signs of Change’ - detailed how acting was something she had “never considered” until a weekend organised by the National Deaf Society as a child where she spent time with other deaf children.
She told the Guardian newspaper: “It was amazing. I didn’t need to worry about fitting in. There, I felt free to be me.
“I'd never considered acting before. At school, it wasn’t set up for deaf kids, there was nobody deaf on TV or in films, and I didn’t have the confidence.”
“I thought nobody deaf could be professional so it was a bit of fun.There was a deaf youth theatre group in London I started to go to on weekends."
The ‘Code of Silence’ star detailed how she got her break in telly via Facebook casting groups looking specifically for deaf performers as “agents were interested in deaf actors” and formal training “felt inaccessible”.
Rose said: “Agents weren’t interested in deaf actors. Drama school felt inaccessible. Experience was hard to get.”