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6. Sia became huge in the 2010s, rising in fame along with Maddie Ziegler, who appeared in many of her music videos. However, things took a turn when Sia released her film Music, featuring Ziegler as a nonverbal autistic character. The backlash to the film was strong even before it came out, especially regarding Sia’s choice to cast a neurotypical actor in the role of a child with autism. Still, Sia only made things worse during the film’s promotion, most notably when an actor with autism called her out for not casting someone like her, and Sia replied, “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.” Sia also stated she “actually tried working with a beautiful young girl, nonverbal on the spectrum, and she found it unpleasant and stressful.”
The movie was panned and called ableist, with reviews noting Ziegler’s performance was like a caricature of an autistic person. It also faced criticism for its portrayal of the use of restraint on autistic people, which is not recommended and can be dangerous and even fatal. Sia later apologized for her problematic depiction and then deleted her Twitter account.
Following a long break (during which Sia later said she’d suffered a relapse), Sia released a new album just months ago, but it charted far lower than her previous albums.
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