ABC – Randy Holmes(NEW YORK) — Minnie Driver is taking on the bold new ABC comedy Speechless in which she plays a mom who will do anything for her husband and her kids, the eldest of whom has cerebral palsy.
The actress said she loves the role “very, very much” because the show “has a message that is truly great.”
“We’re not proselytizing, we’re not forcing that down people’s throats, but rather encouraging people to look at inclusivity in a different way,” Driver, 46, said on Good Morning America Wednesday. “And, certainly, people who are living with disabilities, to just process it and metabolize it differently.”
The Academy Award-nominated actress said the show focuses on “a family with a certain set of challenges” and attempts to “typify something” that is not normally tackled on television.
“I love it because it is typifying something that we, I think for the most part, keep at an arm’s length,” Driver said.
But rather than the takeaway of Speechless being a social message, Driver said simply, “We want people to laugh. Laughter is what breaks down walls.”
Speechless airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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