Geri Jewell on - A child is waiting - And - Gaby - A true story

Geri Jewell >> Two films that I remember well that impacted me... One of them was "A Child Is Waiting" with Judy Garland. I have to tell you the reason that film impacted me so greatly even as a little kid I remember watching it on TV, was because number one, Judy Garland was my idol and here she was with kids like myself. There was a kid with CP (cerebral palsy) in that film... "Wow! There's me!" That was the only reference I had of seeing myself in a movie. It was very, very powerful. Lawrence Carter-Long >> One of the most accurate depictions of disability was the life story of Gabriela Brimmer in the movie "Gaby: A True Story." The actress playing the lead had a bout of a disabling condition which left her hospitalized for three months... That certainly informed the character she created, the role that she did. It gave it a depth. It gave it a gravitas. It gave it a certain understanding that you just can't make up out of thin air and it shows in the quality of the work that we see on screen. Geri Jewell >> I didn't even get an opportunity to audition for that. All I had to do was up CP a few notches. *laughs* I mean, I could've done it, I'm a trained actress. Wasn't even considered and they went with a non-disabled actress to play the role of Gaby. VOICE OVER >> The Projected Image: A History of Disability in Film. Tuesdays in October beginning at 8pm. For a complete schedule and exclusive content visit http://www.tcm.com/dif