Sia Revealed How She Convinced Maddie Ziegler to Play a Character with Autism in ‘Music’
Over the course of her career, Maddie Ziegler has collaborated with Sia plenty of times. The dancer was only 11 the first time the singer reached out to her to be in Chandelier. The music video became a viral hit, racking up billions of views. Following that, the pair collaborated on other music videos, tours, and performances. And when Sia made her directorial debut with her movie, Music, she cast Ziegler in the titular role.
Maddie Ziegler was cast as a nonverbal teen on the autism spectrum in ‘Music’
In the film, Ziegler portrays a nonverbal teen named Music. This casting choice caused a great deal of backlash. Many felt that Sia could’ve easily cast an actor on the autism spectrum rather than Ziegler. Furthermore, many were offended by the way Sia chose to depict autism in the film, citing her decisions as harmful, dangerous, and ableist.
Sia doesn’t want to make art without Ziegler
But Sia doubled down on her decision. She claimed that she tried to cast an actor on the autism spectrum in the role of Music, but it didn’t work out. After she was accused of being an ableist, she got even more candid about the reason she decided to cast Ziegler in the film.
“I realized it wasn’t ableism,” Sia shared with The Project. “I mean, it is ableism, I guess as well, but it’s actually nepotism because I can’t do a project without [Ziegler]. I don’t want to. I wouldn’t make art if it didn’t include her.” But while Sia was keen on having Ziegler play Music, The Fallout actor wasn’t so sure. The dancer was concerned about playing a character on the autism spectrum because she didn’t want to offend or misrepresent anyone.
How the Australian singer convinced the ‘Dance Moms’ alum to portray Music
So how did Sia convince Ziegler, who was 14 at the time, to do the movie anyway? The “Move You Body” singer assured her now goddaughter that she could protect her. “She cried on the first day of rehearsals, and she was really scared and said, ‘I don’t want anyone to think that I’m making fun of them.'” Sia recalled about filming Music with Ziegler. “I bold-facedly said, ‘I won’t let that happen.'”
But it turned out that Sia couldn’t have been more wrong. While she received the brunt of the backlash for Music, Ziegler was also caught in the crossfire. “Last week, I realized I couldn’t really protect her from that, which I thought I could,” Sia explained. “And, you know, we sent it off to the Child Mind Institute, and [Ziegler] received 100 percent as a performance accuracy. I realize that there are some things I can’t protect her from as much as I try. I guess that’s like what any mum or bonus mum would say.”
Sia thinks of herself as Ziegler’s bonus mom
Continuing on, Sia shared that she considers herself to be a bonus mum to Ziegler. “I just discovered it,” she shared. “It came in, and I was like, ‘That’s what I am, that’s who I am! I’m the bonus mum!’ And I haven’t been happier since. In fact, I’ve got about a thousand t-shirts that I had made that just say bonus mum, and it’s all I wear.” Clearly, Sia feels a closeness for Ziegler. Only time will tell if they’ll collaborate again in the future.
