Actor Adam Pearson, who has a disfiguring facial condition, wants to help others learn about these differences as he plays a man with the same condition in his latest film.
The 39-year-old British star has neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that causes tumors, which are usually benign, to grow on your nerves.
Pearson, who made his acting debut in 2013’s Under the Skin, said: “There are two ways to lose your anonymity in a society – either you become famous or you get disfigured, so I kind of shot myself in both feet a little on this one.”
But he wants to encourage acceptance of his condition and said anyone who chooses to take a “vow of almost noble silence” to avoid a “politically correct minefield” could be doing more harm than good.
“Kindness goes a long way,” he added.
He stars alongside Marvel’s Sebastian Stan in the drama A Different Man, about an actor with NF1 who undergoes a medical test that successfully removes tumors from his face.
Created by A24, the film explores social norms and self-esteem and hopes to create a platform for open and honest conversations.
Sebastian Stan said the film made him think about how focused society is on appearance. Photo: Different Person/A24
Co-star Stan, who plays Edward, the film’s lead, used prosthetics to mimic the symptoms of neurofibromatosis and went out in public as the character to see how people would react.
He said that “there is nothing more self-conscious or isolating than this experience.
“The recognition part is a similar concept of being public property, just like being different or being disabled or disfigured, but it was 20 times the amount.
“You feel the energy shift and you feel the discomfort. And that informs everything from that point on.”
Photo: Different Person/A24
The actor, who plays Donald Trump in the upcoming film The Apprentice, said it made him think about how focused society is on appearance.
He said that we often go to great lengths to improve our lives, hoping that “something will change on the inside.
“But it won’t happen as long as you make decisions based on what you think people want you to be.”
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It was difficult to get financing for A Different Man, written by Aaron Shimberg, until Stan came on board.
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Stan: “People aren’t very good liars”
The 42-year-old Romanian-American actor wants to use the platform he has to shine a light on important stories.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve certainly felt a greater sense of responsibility for what kind of work I get into, and I think one of those things is finding projects that I feel speak to something, asking important, difficult questions and having directors , who are fearless and not afraid to go there,” he said.
A Different Man is now in theaters.
