For Ruth Madeley, landing the lead role in Being Heumann was nothing short of a dream come true. The actor, who has long aspired to headline a Hollywood film, admits that the opportunity to play disability rights campaigner Judy Heumann was a particularly special one. When the project came through her agents, with director Siân Heder keen to see an audition tape, Madeley knew it was an opportunity unlike any other. Heder, meanwhile, explains that the story immediately grabbed her attention, describing it as something akin to Dog Day Afternoon with disabled people at its centre. Following the success of CODA, she was drawn to a story packed with tension, humour, momentum and genuine emotional stakes, while offering another opportunity to explore equality and representation.
Much of the preparation involved getting beyond the public image of Heumann, whose activism had made her an internationally recognised figure. Heder first encountered her through the documentary Crip Camp and was fascinated by the personality behind the campaigner. After developing a friendship with Heumann over two years, Heder was able to discover the more personal details of her life, including her insecurities, relationships and the uncertainty she sometimes felt while leading the historic occupation of a federal building. For Madeley, capturing that complexity was equally important. Although she only met Heumann briefly during a group Zoom call, she immersed herself in archival footage and worked to understand the subtle differences in her manner, particularly when speaking publicly compared with relaxing among friends. Mastering Heumann’s American accent also presented a welcome challenge, requiring considerable attention to pronunciation, tongue placement and the physical mechanics of speech.
Interestingly, Heder reveals that the experience of making Being Heumann sometimes began to mirror the very struggle at its heart. As the production encountered its own challenges, she found herself drawing inspiration from Heumann’s determination and the strength she showed in keeping people together during the occupation. One particular speech in the film, in which Madeley’s Judy encourages the protesters to remain inside the building because their cause is bigger than any individual, resonated strongly with Heder and the entire production team. It became a reminder that making the film was, in its own way, a continuation of the work Heumann had started. For both filmmaker and actor, Being Heumann is therefore about more than recreating a significant moment in history; it is about recognising the humanity, humour, doubts and extraordinary resolve of the woman who helped change the lives of disabled people.
