In a world where little people struggle to find work in entertainment, what can they do to succeed?
Without prior industry connections, most people find it difficult to achieve their dreams of becoming the next big actor on a theatre stage, embarking on a world tour or being the newest influencer on social media. This is difficult for most but, if you have dwarfism, it can be even more challenging.
Fatima Timbo, who goes by ‘Fatstimbo’ online, is a social media superstar who has over 2.8 million TikTok followers. Her content is a mixture of comedy, fashion and lifestyle, and she has taken the platform by storm in the past year. She has her own podcast on BBC radio, collaborated with major brands such as Marvel, and even sold out her own comedy show back in November. But despite her success, Fatima assures that it hasn’t been easy getting to this point.
“Even when I was at 20k followers, and saw influencers with the same amount of followers as me, I was being refused opportunities,” Fatima says. “They would say, ‘oh, you don’t have a big enough following to do that’, and it just seemed that, because I wasn’t their typical influencer, they wouldn’t work with me. I was off their radar.”
Photograph: Ciara Kinsella
Despite the challenges, Fatima continues to grow her platform every day. But unfortunately, she still encounters hateful comments on her social media from time to time, but her positive attitude helps her to overcome this struggle.
“I’m called really discriminative things, and when I first got those comments it really affected my confidence,” she said. “It made me feel insecure. It made me feel like I shouldn’t be doing this, but I didn’t want to stop because I knew I had an audience who loved my stuff. Why would I let some loser called ‘unknown 753’ or something tear me down?”
Fatima also explains that much more needs to be done for the positive representation of little people in entertainment, so that they can be taken more seriously.
“Unfortunately, I stick out like a sore thumb,” she explains. “But I think big companies can help to destigmatise us by thinking twice about representation. Think twice about how they want to diversify their campaigns.”
The lack of representation across the entertainment industry is clear within many different areas, too. Only last year, Disney found themselves being criticised by actor Peter Dinklage, who expressed that casting little people in an upcoming Snow White remake would be “outdated.” He shared this view to reiterate how awful it is that little people are only cast as comedic or fictional characters, which he felt was disrespectful. Although this is a view shared by many little people, Choon Tan, an actor who previously starred in the Snow White pantomime in the West End, says that these comments are actually hypocritical coming from Peter.
“By not hiring seven dwarf actors, you’re taking away potential work,” Choon says. “If what he says were to be taken seriously, it could have a real knock-on effect. It could ruin opportunities that are specifically made for dwarf actors, opportunities that only someone like me could do.”
Choon also believes that Peter Dinklage’s comments are hypocritical and out of touch, considering the roles that made him famous are related to his disability.
“He’s been in Elf and Game of Thrones, which both utilise his height,” he says. “I do think he’s just ruining the opportunity for other people because he’s made it now. He’s sort of misusing his voice. This work is there for people who need it, and it’s just really unfair for him to use his voice in that way.”
Choon is often booked for events, playing roles including elves and Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, despite the controversy around hiring little people to perform in outdated or stereotypical settings, Choon says that it’s not something he is offended by. In fact, he says that his disability has helped him to flourish in his career, rather than be hindered by it.
“I do gigs that are usually no more than three hours, and get paid around £150 to £200 an hour,” Choon says. “I have been asked, “is this derogatory?” by clients before, but it’s not at all. It’s all respectable, because we’re there to have fun with you and make it a great experience together.”
Despite the range of opinions on the matter, one thing is for sure: Little people are not anywhere near as widely represented as they could be in the media. Although there are some individuals who are succeeding, how is this stigma affecting younger, upcoming creatives?
Gabi D is an aspiring actor and content creator based in Toronto, Canada. With just over five thousand followers on TikTok, Gabi creates a range of content, including lifestyle, acting and educational videos about living with dwarfism. She explains that, although she is just starting out on her path to success, she has already come across negative stereotypes.
“I went for a role in a comedy sketch,” she explains. “I was going to be hidden in a clothing rack, and another person would see me, and I would say, “What are you looking at?”, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. It was like I was a child, and my height was just there as something to laugh at. So honestly, it is hard for me to find roles. These companies often go down the route of having disabled characters, instead of having a main character that just so happens to be disabled.”
Although Gabi finds it difficult to find roles she thinks are suitable, she prides herself on being a very honest and kind content creator who is constantly informing her audience on facts about dwarfism. Her positivity is infectious, and she aims to destigmatise dwarfism with her online presence.
“I’m not here to be pitied,” she says. “This is the life I live, and I enjoy it. I want to be that person that’s somewhat the gateway into educating people about what dwarfism is. In reality, I could be the first little person that someone has seen. And I want to educate them and provide them with a good experience as they watch me.”
The lack of non-stereotypical opportunities for little people in entertainment is an issue that needs tackling, but there have been attempts by companies to help. Annabelle Davis, the daughter of actor Warwick Davis, has become the first person with dwarfism to star in Hollyoaks, which has been met with positivity and celebrations. whilst there are attempts to increase opportunities, Gabi thinks brands should incorporate disability into their work.
“Often, we’re just pigeonholed into roles,” Gabi says. “It’s always, “let's have the angry neighbour be a little person”, or, “how can we use you for something we’ve seen before?” But why can’t the little person be the prince? Or the main character, who just so happens to have dwarfism? Honestly, my wish would be that little people's roles become mainstream, and a little girl can look at the TV and say, “hey, that girl looks like me.”
Words by Connie Burke
Comments