GNOME CINEMA
LIFE is hard for the little people, especially those trying to make it in the acting game. Hollywood is all about representation and “seeing you” – except if you have any form of dwarfism. Then, unless you’re him out of
Game of Thrones
or mates with Ricky Gervais, you’re not just overlooked, but written out of existence. But don’t worry, it’s for your own good.
For last year’s Wicked, the director wanted Oz’s Munchkins to be “defined as a culture… not a size”. So they were a bunch of full-sized St Patrick’s Day revellers in leprechaun fancy dress. In the Apple TV+ remake of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, the six title characters were all standard-sized. Now we have a live-action Disney Snow White with the seven dwarfs excluded from the title and the cast.