Actors Who Share The Exact Same Condition As The Characters They Play

Here's a rundown of all the incredible actors who have the same conditions as their characters.

One of the best parts of the TV renaissance has been seeing greater representation on screen, particularly, in portraying characters with disabilities.

So from Stranger Things to Breaking Bad here's a rundown of all the actors who share the same condition as their characters.

First up is Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things.

He was such a perfect fit for the role of Dustin that the character was rewritten slightly to share the actor's health condition.

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Gaten has a condition called cleidocranial dysplasia, which impacts the growth of bones and teeth.

The series even makes reference to the condition, with Dustin responding to bullies: "I told you a million times my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia."

The show's creators, the Duffer brothers, were determined to keep the portrayal of the condition realistic, as Gaten told The Doctors: "Once I got the part, they said they’re gonna incorporate that and use it in a realistic way. They asked me if it was OK if the kids in the show had bullied me because of it.

"I said it’s totally cool. It’s realistic."

While Gaten needs a 'lot of surgery' for his condition, he loves the impact his character has, as he told Johnathan Ross: "A lot of people have it much worse than I do, and I feel like putting it into the show really raises awareness for it."

And, honestly, we couldn't imagine anyone better to play Dustin.

Next up is RJ Mitte who has cerebral palsy, just like his character Walter Jr., in Breaking Bad.

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RJ plays drug kingpin Walter White's son in the series and said in an interview with the Independent: "When it comes to community outreach and helping people and wanting to inspire others, Breaking Bad just amplifies all of it."

Our third, total badass actor is Lauren Ridloff, who plays Connie in The Walking Dead and Makkari in Eternals.

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Both Connie and Makkari are deaf like Lauren. As someone who was born deaf themselves (but can hear after corrective surgery), it's incredible to see a deaf actress play characters not defined by their disability.

It meant a lot to Ridloff, who said in an interview with The New York Times about Eternals: "It means my two boys, who are also deaf, will grow up in a world where there are superheroes who are deaf."

And, if that's not a reason to wake up and go to work in the morning, we don't know what is.

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Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, News, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones

Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.