Disability and Stuttering Representation in Entertainment – Marc Winski on HBO Max’s “The Penguin”

by Mascha DeikovaFebruary 7^th, 2025

In this video interview, CineD’s Graham Sheldon sits down with actor and activist Marc Winski to talk about disability and stuttering representation in the entertainment industry. Marc’s most recent project is HBO Max’s show “The Penguin,” where he acted as a coach to Rhenzy Feliz to create an authentic stuttering performance for the character of Victor. To discover why it is important, explore the current state of disability representation in our industry and more – watch the full video conversation.

Marc is an actor, singer, speaker, voice consultant, and activist specializing in disability representation in entertainment and media. He calls himself a disability advocate and does a lot of awareness work on social media.

Stuttering representation on “The Penguin”

Which is exactly how producers from HBO Max found him. In the interview, Marc Winski tells Graham that their call came literally out of the blue because he didn’t know anyone from the team at that point. They were searching for an 18-year-old Latino actor who stutters to play a key role in a prime-time project. Unfortunately, Marc didn’t know anyone who fit that description, as stuttering representation was still lacking. However, he offered to help in any way he could. After some time, they reached out to Marc and asked him to coach Rhenzy Feliz, who landed the role but didn’t stutter.

Yes, it turned out, the show in question was “The Penguin,” and the creators wanted Rhenzy’s character Victor Aguilar (Penguin’s protégé) to stutter. It’s not a critical topic of the series; neither is it a story of someone who finds their true self and “overcomes disability.” No, just a teenager with a stutter. That’s what piqued Marc’s interest, and he agreed to work with Rhenzy as long as they were up for doing the most authentic representation of stuttering they could achieve.

Related Course

Producing from the Front

Watch Now

Your passion is film production. How and where to start? Learn from award winning producer Graham Ehlers Sheldon as he shares every step of the way on what it takes to produce quality content that people want to watch.

The general state of stuttering representation

One of the primary goals of their training sessions was to craft a performance that would not ring false to the community.

As Marc explains, unfortunately, so much disability representation in movies is lacking. First, it heavily relies on stereotypes. Second, many roles depicting disabled characters are played by non-disabled actors who often fail to capture the nuances of those experiences. This is especially true for stuttering, where subtlety and authenticity are difficult to portray. In Marc’s words, the only good representation that the stuttering community has seen is in the film “The King’s Speech” with Collin Firth, who did his research, had a great coach, and achieved authentic physical stuttering work. But then again, it’s also the movie’s central topic.

The coaching process and exercises

Working with Rhenzy was an amazing experience, as Marc Winski recalls. He came in as an open book and was excited to learn and create a character that hadn’t been seen on TV before (and is brand-new to the DC Universe). They obviously worked a lot on the physicality of stuttering: Repetitions and blocks. But more importantly, around 80% of their time together was dedicated to the internal feelings and thoughts of this ambitious kid who came from a difficult background. They thought about places where Victor did not stutter, created his backstory, developed his personal speech pattern, and crafted how and when he would change his words around in order to be heard.

In the video above, Marc also shares some of the exercises that he used in his coaching sessions with Rhenzy. They even try one together and discuss the emotions it evokes. If you want to better understand how a person who stutters feels, you can try it yourself while watching the interview.

Also in the video interview

In their conversation, Graham and Marc also touch on other topics and dive deeper into some of those mentioned above. You will get to know more about:

• The physical nature of stuttering, and how they created a speech pattern for the character of Victor
• The general state of disability representation in our industry today and Marc’s thoughts and experiences
• The tendency of mitigating risks after Covid and why is it harmful for motion pictures in the long run
• What writers should consider before writing a character with a disability
• Creating a world of inclusivity.

Regarding the latter, Marc makes an important point, reminding us that anyone can have a disability. There is no hierarchy or distinction when it comes to jobs or other aspects of life. Anyone can have characteristics of stuttering, and it needs to be represented much more.

What are your thoughts on disability and stuttering representation in the movie industry? Do you have any good film examples? How do you try to achieve inclusivity in your own projects? Let us know in the comments below!