Kristen Lopez is the author of a book called Popcorn Disabilities. Her book explores how Hollywood has shaped the perception of people with disabilities. Lopez is a journalist who has written for Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, and others. She also served as a film editor at TheWrap.
I first learned about Kristen Lopez on Thanksgiving Day with a friend in Burbank. Megan McDonagh wrote a story for the Tolucan Times titled “Local Author Kristen Lopez Publishes Her Second Book,” which peaked my interest. Just a few weeks prior, the City of West Hollywood’s Disability Advisory Board had presented WEHOonline with its Media Award. And in 2024, Brandon Garcia also accepted the Media Award from the Disability Advisory Board on behalf of this publication. Surely there are other deserving media folks who should be recognized. I read Megan’s column, and Kristen’s book fixated me on how my own life, and the perceptions of people with disabilities, are represented in the media.
Lopez’s book talks about her life experience dealing directly with the politics and social difficulties that disabled people face daily.
“I was the only disabled person in my family, the only disabled person that I knew for a long time. So I didn’t really have any other examples of what that looked like for me, and movies really were the de facto place that I could see something that was reminiscent of disability, and it was usually something that scared the living crap out of me, like the munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. The Little Mermaid, I think, was the closest thing that I saw as a small child to being like, OK, she’s hampered by a tail, I’m hampered by my inability to walk, so, like, –friend.”
“Once I started noticing the themes [in the movies], I’d always joked to my friends about the able-bodied buffer: Did you ever notice that all the disabled fellas are white dudes? Annenberg just did a study last year, and the stats have not moved since 2015. It’s still 70% white men with disabilities. We are still not seeing enough women, we are still not seeing enough women of color, or any people of color with disabilities.”
“Now that I am an adult, and I talk in the book about how movies made me feel as a disabled teenage girl, it makes me nervous. It keeps me up at night. Where are the young disabled girls? The disabled girls of color? What are they watching? But I don’t know if they feel any better about themselves than I did in the ’90s.”
Quoting McDonagh’s piece: “Popcorn Disabilities is a must-read for movie lovers,” Carla Valderrama, author of This Was Hollywood. Popcorn Disabilities is a sharp, entertaining, and necessary examination of how disability has been portrayed, and often misrepresented, on screen.
“Kristen Lopez brings humor, heart, and lived experience to this powerful critique of Hollywood’s track record. Representation matters not just for visibility, but for how we shape attitudes and shift culture. Whether you’re a film fan, a disability advocate, or simply curious about what inclusive media can look like, this book is a must-read,” Tiffany Yu, author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto.
The book is a fantastic read and stirs memories of how people with disabilities are depicted and represented in films. Most roles of disabled individuals are played by actors without disabilities. Think Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. But there are very few examples of people with disabilities being cast authentically.
People with disabilities are so often overlooked. The media plays a critical role in that oversight. Thank you, Kristen Lopez, for your book, insights, and perseverance.
Popcorn Disabilities is a great read for movie buffs, people with disabilities, and anyone who cares about how Hollywood shapes what we think we “know” about disability.
If you’d like to purchase Popcorn Disabilities it’s available on Amazon here. It’s a great read. And, Kristen Lopez, and her book Popcorn Disabilities gets my nod for an early 2026 Disability Service Award nominee in the media category.
Just stumbled upon this and thank you so much Larry for your kind words!
The biggest problem with the book is that the author doesn’t know much about how films are actually made.