Christmas Ever After star Ali Stroker explains importance of disability portrayal in new Lifetime film
‘I’m really excited that this narrative now exists, because when I was a kid I didn’t have that,' actor says
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Your support makes all the difference.Ali Stroker, star of Lifetime’s new Christmas film Christmas Ever After, has discussed the importance of how disability is portrayed in the new movie.
In the film, Stroker plays Izzi, a popular romance novelist suffering from writer’s block who finds love during the holidays.
It marks Lifetime’s first movie to star a lead actor with a disability. In an interview with USA Today, Stroker said she hoped it was “just the beginning”.
“I'm really excited that this narrative now exists, because when I was a kid I didn't have that,” she said.
“I went to see theatre and watched TV and movies, and I never saw anybody like me. Those narratives are so powerful for young people, because you understand that that can be you. You can have your love story.”
Stroker went on to point out that another important element was that the story isn’t about Izzi’s disability itself.
“If you are an actress or an actor with a disability, the story doesn't have to be about that,” she said. “It doesn't have to be about disability. That doesn't have to be the conflict. That doesn't have to be the character's story line. And that's exactly what this movie has done.”
“There's really no conversation about the disability, and what's so beautiful, I think, about being in a wheelchair, is it's just always a part of the story, but we don't have to talk about it,” she continued. “It can be there and exist and now you are in my world. So I think there's a lot of power in that.”
In the same interview, Stroker revealed what it was like to film kissing scenes with her co-star Daniel di Tomasso using plexiglass, in accordance with coronavirus safety measures.
“I was giggling for a lot of that scene, because you go in to kiss glass and you sort of feel like a teenager again and you're practicing your first kiss on a mirror,” she said.
Christmas Ever After is out now on Lifetime in the US. A UK release date has yet to be announced.
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