But Run got it right. So to borrow a page out of their book, I storyboarded every single frame of this movie by hand before we started shooting. It’s exciting to be a part of this big moment for representation, but I do hope it’s a lasting change. So right now, we’re watching Chloe, who’s this super resourceful and smart and inventive girl, sort of MacGyver a solution out of her room. That’s a huge honor. We basically created the entire second story of his house on a stage, and the first story and the outside— what you’re looking at now— is all on-location. It was really good up until the end. Add instant personality to any room with a stunning Ethan Allen living room chair, upholstered in your favorite fabric or leather. But as long as I’m doing work that’s good, with good people, and that’s rewarding, that’s something I’m really happy to do. But that was also all I had. Kiera Allen, who plays the wheelchair-bound Chloe--and who is disabled in real life--makes her feature film debut in "Run," and holds her own against Paulson's veteran-level acting chops. Hollywood productions regularly say they try to find actors with disabilities to play characters with disabilities, and very often say they just couldn’t find the right person. KIERA ALLEN: That’s an interesting take. I would love to make that a part of my acting career. You can read our full interview with the Run filmmakers here. That very first audition. Kiera Allen is a 22-year-old actor and writer. “This is one of the best representations of a disabled character I’ve ever seen,” Allen said. Kiera Allen of ‘Run’ on Upending Disability Stereotypes, Kiera Allen in Los Angeles. In addition to needing a talented young actor who could hold their own opposite Paulson, Chaganty was committed to casting a disabled actor for the role. At one point, they told her over Skype that the film required a lot of stuntwork — you’ll know exactly what they mean when you see Run — and joked that she should start prepping like Rocky Balboa. Kiera Allen is an actress, known for Run (2020), Ethan & Skye (2014) and The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003). Kiera Allen: There is so much I didn’t expect coming into this. And regardless of if I’m right for the role or not, I cannot wait for people to see this. She doesn’t specify why she uses one, but she does. Without giving much away, the basic setup is this. Your email address will not be published. Obviously, we did not put Kiera on an actual roof with danger. View the profiles of people named Kiera Allen. Kiera Allen uses a wheelchair. We don’t often see an actor who uses a wheelchair in real life in this type of role — in a major thriller. In Run, Paulson plays a doting mother who would do anything for her sick child, Chloe (Kiera Allen). So that’s the end of one of the biggest set pieces of the movie, which honestly tries to do what we were trying to do with this whole movie, which is take a normal house and turn every single element of that house into a massive Burj Khalifa-scale obstacle. So we had great communication throughout. “And then, like a week later, she sent the three of us a video of her, scored with the Rocky theme, prepping on her arm bike and using her Harry Potter wand, because she’s a big Harry Potter nerd and so are we,” Qasabian said. Where do you see your career going? I wanted to be super spare with the visuals of this movie and always design frames that could be repeated so that when things start to explode narratively, like right now, it would feel like real catharsis. Throughout her life, she has been impacted by five ailments that have left her wheelchair bound with an irregular heartbeat and asthmatic. But this whole sequence, we shot over multiple, multiple days. Kiera Allen stars opposite Sarah Paulson in the new thriller Run (available now on Hulu), in which she portrays the wheelchair-bound daughter of Paulson’s manipulative mother character. Allen, who has used a wheelchair for six years, was submitted by her manager for the role and sent in a self-tape. Was it different from past experiences? How did your real-life experience or the nuances of your life get translated into or help shape the role? That’s something that I’ve talked about with some disabled folks who’ve seen the film and find that perspective refreshing. They approached me about sending a memo to the crew, just being like, Here are a few things about working with a person with a disability to make everything go smoothly: For instance, don’t push my chair; don’t come behind me and push my chair without asking first. For the creators of Run, there was no question that their lead character, who uses a wheelchair, would be played by an actress who uses a wheelchair in real life.They found her in Kiera Allen. She defines her own journey.”. It’s a threat and it’s a terror. One of the things I love so much about this film, and that’s so unique, is its representation of accessibility. From a form standpoint, I think what you’re about to watch is actually one of the few sequences that breaks the pattern of the film’s aesthetic. Allen, who has used a wheelchair for six years, was submitted by her manager for the role and sent in a self-tape. In the end she was treating her mom like she did her.Giving her the same pills that made her legs numb and unable to walk.I was hoping she would've met her real parents in the end. What was it like to be on set? But it’s not that; it’s much more visceral. And it is terrifying. They wrote this wonderful representation of disability. So the scene that’s playing out right now takes place in the second act of the movie. FREE Shipping by Amazon. You can actually compare the boards to the final film. I think Aneesh drew on a lot of classic film traditions. Just putting out one small page of information made a huge difference. They found her in Kiera Allen. Edward Norton Thinks Trump Wants a ‘Nixon-Style Deal’ to Exit, Edward Norton: Trump Wants a ‘Nixon-Style Deal’ to Exit Without Being Prosecuted, David Guillod Accused by 7th Woman, Who Says He Assaulted Her in High School, Yes, That Chuck Norris Tweet Is Real, and No, He Was Not at the Capitol, To Cast Balram in The White Tiger, Ramin Bahrani Made the Most of an Exploratory Trip to India and Went Off-Script During Casting, What Biden Means for Movies; Sam Pollard on MLK/FBI; Oldest Marathoner Gets a Movie, No Man’s Land Director Conor Allyn on Using a Classic Genre to Explore the Border. Chloe gets trapped in a basement and can’t get out because her mother has weaponized inaccessibility against her. And we were like, wow, they’re really talented… but somebody looked them up on Instagram,” said Ohanian. We did two or three scenes together. And we ended up finding this incredible talent in Kiera Allen,” Chaganty told MovieMaker. But you will undoubtedly leave a fan of Kiera Allen, the remarkable actor at the center of the movie who makes her film debut. What has it been like to see disabled characters portrayed by nondisabled actors? The next shot you’re going to see is going to be from the side, and that is a stunt double. Kiera Allen, who’s making her feature film debut with Sarah Paulson in Hulu’s “Run,” talks representation as a wheelchair user. Collider can exclusively announce that newcomer Kiera Allen has been cast opposite Sarah Paulson in the movie Run, director Aneesh Chaganty's follow-up to Searching. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/movies/run-kiera-allen-interview.html Young actress Kiera Allen stars opposite Sarah Paulson in director Aneesh Chaganty's new thriller. 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,920. I didn’t have a lot of pieces of entertainment — films, TV, plays — where I could see a genuinely disabled person in that role. Did you have any input in that? Kiera Allen, Actress: Run. So our daughter, played by newcomer Kiera Allen, has been locked in her room by her […] That stuff is really scary. In a recent Zoom interview, Allen, 22, discussed playing Chloe, a home-schooled teenager with an overprotective single mother, and how the movie upends typical narratives about disabled people. So I would feel comfortable. Your email address will not be published. Hollywood productions regularly say they try to find actors with disabilities to play characters with disabilities, and very often say they just couldn’t find the right person. There is one scene where a broken escalator foils an escape. ‘Run’ is one of the best thrillers of 2020. 50 $339.50 $339.50. There is no part of this that I was like, “Yeah, this seems about right. “It was never a controversial topic between the three of us. That was all the writers. I just didn’t get the end. They did a lot of homework. Chloe's (Allen) world comes crashing one fine day when she notices that one of her prescriptions doesn't have her name on it, but someone else's. This is a shot on set, again, on this little fake, made roof. Hi, I’m Aneesh Chaganty, and I’m the co-writer and director of Run. Her disability is a part of that, but it doesn’t define who she is. It’s all pretty identical. Our living room chairs span the style spectrum, from elegant wing chairs to comfy recliners, and many are available for fast delivery. I love to write as well. Also Read: Edward Norton Thinks Trump Wants a ‘Nixon-Style Deal’ to Exit. But this whole sequence, we shot over multiple, multiple days. We started shooting October 31st of 2018. When Regina King was growing up in Los Angeles, her family ate lots of vegetables. When the filmmakers added Allen to their short list, she was a 20-year-old Columbia University writing student who had previously been in a short film and off-Broadway play. Join Facebook to connect with Kiera Allen and others you may know. But it looks like Kiera because we face-replaced Kiera’s face onto it. That’s a huge honor,” Allen told The New York Times. Chloe Sherman (Kiera Allen), the protagonist of Run, is a differently abled teenage girl who lives a quiet, reclusive life with her mother Diane (Sarah Paulson) at their rural home in Washington State. I worked with the Royal Court, Cape Cod Theatre Project, and a bunch of really wonderful theater companies in and around New York. This is another shot on set. So the camera’s just tilted. Kiera Allen: Before this, I was mostly working in theater. So our daughter, played by newcomer Kiera Allen, has been locked in her room by her misaligned mother, played by veteran Sarah Paulson, and is convinced that she needs to escape. So she just kind of comes out onto her roof. There is a bit of a history of disabled actors being celebrated for one role and then not having opportunities on that same level again. This film is unusual in the way it portrays disability, not only in the authenticity of casting, but in the story: This is not a girl who’s made to be a victim or who’s only there to inform another character’s journey. O.K. She never stops for a second to lament her circumstances, but forges ahead as all good proactive heroines should! Paulson plays an overprotective mom to an asthmatic, wheelchair bound daughter. The film doesn’t sympathize with her in that way. In today’s Movie News Rundown: The wild story of Rebel Without a Cause director Nicholas Ray’s... “Cinema is Nicholas Ray,” Jean-Luc Godard wrote in 1957. I absolutely want to continue acting. In an interview, Allen told Variety that her character wasn’t “shoved into a trope, something that reduces the complexity of the person or has them there to inform someone else’s journey.”, “It feels like it’s going to be the first time a lot of people in my generation ever see a real wheelchair user onscreen playing a wheelchair user. Without giving much away, the basic setup is this. She defines her own journey. And so even though it was already so compelling to me, when we got onto set, they made space for me to say things like, “This is how it would be most comfortable for me to do this” or “I would use this word and not this word,” like very small things, because the script was already so good, but things that did make a difference to me. So the scene that’s playing out right now takes place in the second act of the movie. It was sort of like, ‘Yeah, we’re doing this right?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Cool.’ And then the process of actually finding this person proved to be an intense and countrywide sort of search. She has to overcome that with just sort of pure intelligence, and she does. By the way, the house was chosen because it just felt like when we saw it that it looked like it was, like— you could put it on a movie poster and draw it out and put Sarah Paulson’s face above it, and it just had the vibes of this old-school, Hitchcock house, so there’s just like secrets inside of it and stuff. 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