Sia Defends Choice to Cast Maddie Ziegler as Autistic Character in 'Music'

Sia is opening up more about the decision to cast Maddie Ziegler as an autistic teen in her upcoming movie, Music.

Sia has addressed her casting of Maddie Ziegler in her film Music again, describing the decision as “nepotism”.The singer was on the receiving end of a backlash last year for casting her frequent collaborator over an autistic actor.Music centres around an autistic teenager, played by Ziegler.

Justin Bieber‘s tattoo-less look in his “Anyone” music video is a fan favorite! The Grammy-winning singer, 26, covered up his chest, stomach and arm ink to channel the legendary movie character, Rocky Balboa — originally played by Sylvester Stallone. As for how he managed to pull off the bare-skin look? — While JB hasn’t disclosed the details, it’s likely that he used professional makeup to hide his tattoos.

A New Mexico judge this week decided in favor of 78-year-old Gary Hein, who sued the state for keeping him apart from his wife, who currently lives in a nursing home, during the coronavirus pandemic, according to local reports. The New Mexico Health Department must revise a provision enacted in March allowing nursing homes to make their own rules regarding visitor bans, State District Judge Matthew Wilson ordered Monday after hearing Hein's case, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

Armando Manzanero, the seminal songwriter who wrote some of the most iconic and enduring songs in the Latin American songbook — and whose music was performed by the world’s biggest stars, from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley to Andrea Bocelli and Luis Miguel — has died, multiple outlets reported. He was 85.

Gal Gadot stands by her decision to take on the role of Cleopatra in an upcoming biopic despite “whitewashing” criticism.In an interview with BBC Arabic, Gadot was asked for her response to those who claimed that her casting of Cleopatra due to her Egyptian roots is “whitewashing.”“First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian,” the Wonder Woman 1984 star, 35, explained on Tuesday, December 22.

Sia has expressed regret over responding to criticism of her decision to cast a neurotypical actor as the non-verbal autistic lead in her upcoming new film, Music.Many took to social media in November to voice their criticism following the release of the film’s first trailer, which shows Maddie Ziegler, who is not autistic, playing the role of a nonverbal autistic teenager named Music.Sia responded to a number of comments on Twitter, saying she had consulted autistic people and allies on the

Flip or Flip star Tarek El Moussa and Selling Sunset‘s Heather Rae Young have jetted off to Mexico for a romantic Cabo getaway. The blonde beauty, 33, and her fiance, 39, were seen soaking up the sunshine at a luxe hotel on December 18.

Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young hang out by the pool in a cabana while enjoying the sunny weather on Friday (December 18) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Sia is adding more controversy to her upcoming movie ‘Music,’ admitting how she changed her mind and made the casting decision to replace Shia LaBeouf with Kate Hudson.The 45-year-old singer is making her directorial debut, recently releasing the trailer for the film and revealing that her usual leading lady Maddie Ziegler will be portraying an autistic girl.Fans of the hitmaker were quick to categorize her casting choices as insensitive, accusing her of ableism and lack of research during the

Gallery: 10 things you didn't know about Hailee Steinfeld (BANG Showbiz)The movie has faced controversy because of the casting of Maddie Ziegler as an autistic girl who moves in with her newly-sober half-sibling Zu, despite the fact the 18-year-old star isn't autistic herself. Sia recently defended the casting of her frequent collaborator, insisting it was more "compassionate" than hiring someone with autism.

Sia reworked her directorial debut to cast Kate Hudson in the lead role, after ditching Shia LaBeouf from the project. The Chandelier hitmaker revealed she initially tapped the Transformers star to lead the cast of Music but ended up making the film with Hudson, instead.

Narcos: Mexico star Fernanda Urrejola is on the call sheet for Cry Macho, Clint Eastwood’s drama that is wrapping up shooting in New Mexico. Eastwood is directing and starring in the feature that is based on a book written by N.

Sia is making her feature directorial debut with her upcoming film "Music" but one of her casting choices is raising eyebrows. The singer/songwriter-turned-filmmaker cast "Dance Mom" alum Maddie Ziegler as an autistic teen even though the 18-year-old is not autistic in real-life.  Sia defended her choice in a new interview with Australia’s 10 News First (via Yahoo Entertainment).

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle left the showbiz as she entered the royal family in 2018. However, Meghan's television stints keep cropping up on social media every now and then.