Main summary
Disabled actor Rikki Lee Travolta has been announced as a Best Actor nominee at the Midwest Film Festival’s Best of the Midwest Awards for his leading performance in the film. The sleight of hand of 54 Scripts Productions.
Directed by Ben Kurstin and co-starring Amy Stricker, Isabel Fugatt and Freda Hu, The sleight of hand is a thriller with shades of black comedy about a small-time magician (Travolta) who is mistaken for the reincarnated leader of a polygamous sect.
Travolta was diagnosed with a mental illness in 2008. His diagnoses include bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and borderline personality disorder.
Before being diagnosed, Travolta entered the entertainment industry at a young age, appearing as Tiny Tim on a CBS regional broadcast of A Christmas Carol. He first made national headlines as a young adult when he was brought to Chicago in a casting stunt to revive ticket sales for the city’s best-known environmental comedy. Tony and Tina’s wedding.
The celebrity casting strategy was a success, and ticket sales skyrocketed when Travolta joined the cast. Fox thing in the morning the presenter Marianne Murciano was enthusiastic;
“I’ve seen the show before. With Rikki Lee Travolta the show is even better!”
The Midwest Film Festival award nomination is part of the actor’s career revival. After being diagnosed and beginning treatment in 2008, Travolta was unable to continue his acting career. However, in 2016 he made a triumphant return starring in one flew over the cuckoo’s nest. Since then, she has appeared in select film and television projects, with the motto: “We can’t help being disabled. But we can show what disabled people can still achieve.”
“I don’t do as many acting projects as I used to,” Travolta says. “Since becoming disabled, doing any kind of acting project requires all the stars to be aligned. And to be honest, there’s a certain stigma at play that makes some filmmakers hesitant to use disabled talent.”
“While I am truly honored on a personal level to be nominated for best actor, what really warms my heart is that a disabled actor is being recognized. It just so happens to be me,” Travolta adds. “We live in a changing world, where differences are beginning to be celebrated rather than hidden.”
In 2015, Ali Stroker became the first actor to use a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage. A few years ago, in 2019, he became the first person with a disability to be nominated and receive the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Troy Kotsur won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Best Picture winner CODA. Troy is only the second deaf actor to win an Academy Award.
“There is still widespread discrimination, and there probably will be for the foreseeable future. But we are making big, big strides. And my hope is that, as an industry, we will continue to do so,” Travolta concludes.
Travolta, who now lives in the Chicago metropolitan area, also hosts the radio show and weekly podcast. It’s show time with Rikki Lee, ranked as one of the world’s top entertainment news shows on Apple Podcasts. The half-hour talk show features guests ranging from A-list Hollywood talent to platinum-selling recording artists to newcomers looking for their first break.
The Best of the Midwest Film Festival awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at CineCity Chicago.
