Only disabled actors should play role of Richard III, Gregory Doran

According to the chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company, only crippled actors should play Richard III.

Gregory Doran, who has managed the RSC since 2012 and is about to step down, claimed it was no longer acceptable to cast a disabled person in a leading part.

Richard III, who is stated to as ‘cheated of feature’ and ‘unfinished’ in Shakespeare’s play, is traditionally depicted with a hunchback or cane.

In a 1984 Royal Shakespeare Company production in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Mr Doran’s late husband, Anthony Sher, played the role multiple times while using a crutch.

In his first interview since his husband’s death, he told the New York Times that Sher’s performance would ‘no longer be acceptable.’

Eddie Redmayne was chastised for playing Stephen Hawking, sparking a controversy about whether able-bodied actors should represent challenged roles.