Actor Adam Pearson, who has a disfiguring facial condition, wants to help others learn about such differences as he plays a man with the same illness in his latest film.
The British star, 39, has neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic condition that causes tumours, which are most often benign, to grow along your nerves.
Pearson, who made his acting debut in the 2013 film Under the Skin, said: “There are two ways to lose your anonymity in a society – to either become famous or have a disfigurement so I’ve kind of shot myself in both feet a little bit on that one.”
Sebastian Stan (L), Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson in A Different Man. Pic: A24
But he wants to encourage acceptance of his condition and said anyone choosing to take a “vow of almost noble silence” to avoid a “politically correct minefield” can do more harm than good.
“Kindness goes a long way”, he added.
He stars alongside Marvel’s Sebastian Stan in the drama A Different Man, about an actor with NF1 who undergoes a medical trial that successfully removes the tumours on his face.
Made by A24, the film explores social norms and self-confidence and hopes to create a platform for open and honest conversations.
Sebastian Stan said the film made him reflect on how focused society is on physical appearance. Pic: A Different Man/A24
Co-star Stan, who plays Edward, the film’s lead, uses prosthetics to mimic the symptoms of neurofibromatosis and went out in public in character to see how people would respond.
He said there was “nothing more self-conscious or isolating than that experience.
“The recognition part is a similar concept of you being a public property just like it is you being different or being disabled or disfigured but it was 20 times the amount.
“You feel the energy shift and you feel the discomfort. And it informed everything for me from that point on”.
Pic: A Different Man/A24
The actor, who plays Donald Trump in the upcoming film The Apprentice, said it made him reflect on how focused society is on physical appearance.
He said we often make huge efforts to improve our lives, hoping “something is going to change on the inside.
“But it won’t as long as you’re making decisions that are based on how you think people want you to be.”
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It was a struggle to get funding for A Different Man, written by Aaron Schimberg, until Stan came on board.
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Stan: ‘People aren’t very good liars’
The Romanian-American actor, 42, wants to use the platform he has to shine a light on important stories.
“As I’ve gotten older, certainly I’ve been feeling more of a sense of responsibility towards what kind of work I’m getting involved in and I think one of those things is finding projects that I feel speak to towards something, that ask important, difficult questions and have filmmakers that are fearless and not afraid to go there,” he said.
A Different Man is in cinemas now.