Wicked star speaks out against "very gross" comments about Nessarose's disability
Marissa Bode has called out ableist comments made following Wicked's release.
Marissa Bode, who plays Nessarose in Wicked, has spoken out against trolling of her character's disability following the release of Wicked Part I.
Bode made history as the first-ever wheelchair user to play the role of Nessarose and while she has accepted that many may not take to her character, the actress has called out those making "very gross" comments.
In a video posted on TikTok, Bode said: "It is absolutely OK to not like a fictional character. I am going to be admitting my bias in the way that I have a lot of different feelings on Nessa than a lot of you do, and that's totally fine."
She added: "I think Nessa is complex, but that's the beauty of art. Wicked and these characters and the movie wouldn't be what it was if there weren't different opinions on the characters and who's truly wicked or not. And not liking Nessa herself is OK. Because she is fictional, that's totally fine."
Bode admitted she doesn't mind "silly, goofy, harmless" jokes made about Nessarose, but is against "aggressive" comments about Nessarose's disability, saying that they are "deeply uncomfortable".
"Disability is not fictional," she said. "At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. And so, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking."
Nessarose is the younger sister of Elphaba and takes a dark turn in the second half of the musical, as many fans will be aware.
Bode continued that ableist jokes made about Nessarose and their disability "feels like laughing at rather than laughing with".
She continued: "This goes so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet. These comments do not exist in a vacuum. Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before."
Bode urged people to listen to those explaining how a comment can make them feel and to think of younger wheelchair users who may be "harmed by these comments".
She concluded: "Lastly, I want to say one of the major themes within Wicked is having the ability to listen and to understand one another. And I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you."
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
