As a blind actor and comedian, I believe able-bodied actors should be allowed to tell our stories too

The bottom line is that actors act. They take on roles that are outside of the scope of their own life experiences. What's the harm in that?

As you may be aware, the very famous and able-bodied actor Bryan Cranston, of the hugely successful phenomenon that was Breaking Bad, has taken on the role of a disabled man for his recently released feature film, The Upside, and in doing so has stirred up an ongoing controversy: should able bodied actors really be taking on roles of disabled characters, or should such roles only be awarded to disabled actors?

I am blind. I am also a stand-up comedian and actor who has benefited from the desire of a very small number of writers, producers and directors, to not only increase the on screen visibility of characters with disabilities, but also to authentically cast disabled actors in these roles. Basically, I've played a few blind guys on the telly and I am grateful for those opportunities.

In spite of this though, I do not believe that all characters with disabilities need to, or should be played by actors with that disability, and to be honest, I find the outrage surrounding this issue to be quite ridiculous.

First of all let us consider profile. A movie or TV show of note will require that certain parts are played by actors with a significant level of profile; people need to know who they are. Let's be honest, it's how the finished productions are marketed, and even how they get commissioned and secure investment in the first place. Without the weight of celebrity that an actor of Cranston's stature brings to the production, maybe the film doesn't get made, or if it does, it gets made for a significantly lower budget, in turn has a much smaller release, and is therefore seen by far fewer people. Basically, it becomes a different film.

To make this issue relevant to my own disability, would the movie Scent of a Woman have been such a commercial and critical success, if, instead of Al Pacino, there was an unknown blind actor playing that part?

Would an unknown blind actor even be capable of achieving a fraction of the level of performance that Pacino put into that role? Of course not, I certainly wouldn't. Because the fact of the matter is that firstly, Pacino is one of the best actors in the world, and, secondly, because I am blind and opportunities are limited, it is simply impossible for me to build up the level of experience needed to become that good.

So should Scent of a Woman have been made with an unknown blind actor instead of Pacino? I say no, because it would have been a different film. It might have been good in its own way, but it wouldn't have been as good as the film that we know today.

Last year, there was a similar public controversy over Disney casting the straight Jack Whitehall as a gay character in their upcoming movie Jungle Cruise, but if we are to establish these lines that should not be crossed, in terms of what we can and can't do, or who we can or can't be, then exactly where do we draw them?

Would I, as a blind straight man, be suitable to play the part of a blind gay man? Would it be more appropriate for this part to be given to a gay actor who can see? What is more important: authentic representation of disability or sexuality? As you can see, all of a sudden it starts becoming fairly complicated, but I really don't think it needs to be.

In my opinion, the bottom line is that actors act. They take on roles that are outside of the scope of their own life experiences, and some actors have far greater acting experience, range, and profile than others who might ultimately have a few more things in common with the character in question.

Comedian Trevor Noah of The Daily Show publicly said that he was initially of this opinion until he read the comments of an actor who was in a wheelchair. To paraphrase, the comments were that as a disabled actor, there just aren't enough opportunities for him to get work, and that it feels wrong to see a part for a disabled character in a wheelchair for which he would have been ideally suited, go to an able bodied actor.

I'm afraid I must disagree with these comments though for reasons I have stated above; this opportunity simply was not suitable for somebody with the profile and experience of this unknown disabled actor.

If however, profile or vast experience is not a consideration when casting a disabled character, then yes, consider this bloke, consider me; it would be greatly appreciated if disabled actors were considered for as many of these roles as possible.

Because what I do agree with, is that there simply aren't enough opportunities for disabled actors to work. Where gay actors are routinely cast to play straight characters, or characters where their sexuality is not relevant, disabled actors are almost never considered or sought out to play a character unless disability is specifically written into the script and key to the storyline.

Committing to providing greater opportunities for disabled actors should include writing disabilities into more roles where it is irrelevant to the storyline. Similarly, disabled actors should be considered to play characters where a disability has not been written into the script, but that ultimately would not hinder the plot. I'm not saying anyone should cast me as a Hell's Angel motorcycle hell-raiser, or a professional wrestler (I haven't got the pecks for either), but that lawyer arguing in court for a couple of scenes, perhaps he could be blind or in a wheelchair.

I just feel that the passion of these critical voices, who are keen to see greater representation of disabled actors on our screens, might be better channeled towards increasing more realistic opportunities for disabled actors who do not have the profile or experience of a Hollywood superstar, rather than attacking Cranston for basically doing his job.

I am available for acting work, and forget what I said above – if you need me to ride a Harley, and you can get the insurance, I'd be happy to give it a go – speak to my agent!

Chris McCausland tours his new stand-up show Speaky Blinder between May and June – details here: http://www.chrismccausland.com/