Dr. Angela Lauria and Matt Lowry, LPP chat with Ashley Storrie—the autistic writer and star of the new series, “Dinosaur” (available on Hulu in the U.S.). Discussed:
The unconventional way that Ashely was brought on as a writer and the importance of Autistic writers shaping autistic characters.
How Ashley came to discover her autistic identity.
Autistic linguistics and the “shape” of words.
How production accommodated Ashely (and everyone else!). Plus, how Ashley avoided being triggered while authentically portraying overwhelm and overstimulation.
Why casting autistic actors in autistic roles is not only good representation—it’s good business!
An autistic brain love fest.
The behind-the-scenes process of deciding on the exact sexual history of Ashley’s character, Nina.
Same foods, sensory seeking tastes, and stimming with food!
Ashley’s complex history with The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Quotes from this episode:
“And she was like, you know, ‘You spend your life accommodating people. How about for this, we'll accommodate you?’”
“So good, so clever, but also understood the assignment because it's a lived experience. And that's like you're saying: if you live it and you know it, it's not hard.”
“It was more going right into myself and saying, ‘Who would you be if you didn't have all of that burden of pretending?’”
“She's overcoming people, and maybe their relationship to autism, and she's overcoming other people's things, but never autism itself. That's a part of her and she loves it.”
“So I've licked the Great Wall of China. I've licked Jimi Hendrix's guitar…It was such a compulsion of tasting history that I had to do it.”
“And I have like a crunchy food, a soft food, a wet food and a dry food. And that's how I roll.”
“Yeah, so much of what's magical about this show is just feeling so seen. And it's just such a gift.”
More on Ashley:
Comedian, writer and actress Ashley Storrie can be heard hosting her BBC Radio Scotland show live every Friday night from 10pm-1am. She is also the co-host of the new Midsomer Murders Podcast.
Ashley is also known for her Harry Potter parody #tanyapotter, which has now had over 22 million views. As a result of her online success she was commissioned by BBC Scotland to create online content for their Short Stuff strand, producing viral hits including ‘If The Handmaid’s Tale was Scottish’ and ‘If Game of Thrones Was Scottish.’
Do you feel represented by Ashley’s character, Nina? Tell us in the comments and use #AutisticCultureCatch to share your answer on your social media and connect with other listeners!
Show notes and resources:
Follow Ashley Storrie on Instagram
Check out the official trailer
Watch Dinosaur on Hulu
Other episodes to check out if you liked this one:
Episode 10: Star Trek is Autistic
Episode 17: Wednesday is Autistic?
Episode 54: Comedy is Autistic
Episode 57: Community is Autistic
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Find Matt at Matt Lowry, LPP
Matt’s social media: Autistic Connections Facebook Group
Learn more about Angela at AngelaLauria.com and Difference Press
Angela’s social media: Twitter and TikTok
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Dinosaur is Autistic (Episode 68)