‘it's not always easy'
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DARYL HANNAH shot to fame after appearing in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film The Fury back in 1978. In the 1980s her career really took off when she appeared in films like Blade Runner and Steel Magnolias, which she is still known for today. Away from acting, Hannah has also received praise for speaking openly about her autism and how she has learned to cope in the acting industry.
First diagnosed as a child, Hannah used to hide her disorder from movie executives in fears that she might not get cast. She also shied away from appearing in chat shows and attending movie premieres, as she was “terrified” to go. In the middle of Hollywood glitz and glamour, Hannah felt uncomfortable being the centre of attention, leading her to ditch acting altogether in favour of environmental activism. But even away from the spotlight, the star’s main priority is being comfortable in her own skin, and learning how to deal with her autism.
“I was a little odd and incredibly introverted and withdrawn when I was young,” Hannah said in an interview with Women’s Weekly.
“Kids bullied me and that just drove me further into myself. Children can be very cruel when they see someone who doesn’t fit in – and unfortunately, that was me. I didn’t fit in anywhere.”
My shyness was probably made worse because of my condition. I’d come home from school and cry myself to sleep. Right from an early age, I’d rock myself back and forth because it helped calm me down.
Sadly for Hannah, due to a childhood of bullying, shyness still affects her today. “Anything that involves meeting or talking to more than a couple of people scares the hell out of me,” she added.
“It’s confronting and always has been. But it’s the way I am; the way I have always been. I’m still not great in crowds.
“I’m fine one-on-one but in larger groups I lose my sense of self. Big events are always uncomfortable for me and I don’t know if I will ever grow out of it.
“I try to keep those feelings under control but it takes a lot of focus and concentration, and energy. It’s not always easy.”
Most autistics do not get the appeal of celebrity, do not understand why anybody should care about their opinions. I often find it befuddling also. Our befuddlement does not negate that it is real and matters. In the 1980s AIDS was known as the “gay plague”, something “they” got. Then Rock Hudson an iconic symbol of American masculinity died from it and AIDS was taken more seriously. Somebody they “knew” not only had died from it but was also gay. While far from ending anti gay feeling it lessened it.
This works both ways, celebrity anti vaxxers such as Jenny McCarthy and Robert Kennedy Jr. have increased negative perceptions of autistic people.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
21 Mar 2022, 7:05 am
