If there’s a sure-fire way for an actor to get awards-season attention, it’s to play someone with a disability.
Think of Jane Wyman in “Johnny Belinda,” Patty Duke in “The Miracle Worker,” Cliff Robertson in “Charly,” Jon Voight in “Coming Home,” Daniel Day-Lewis in “My Left Foot,” Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman,” Holly Hunter in “The Piano,” Geoffrey Rush in “Shine,” Jamie Foxx in “Ray,” Eddie Redmayne in “The Theory of Everything” and Julianne Moore in “Still Alice” — all Oscar winners, all portraying someone who’s somehow dealing with a disability.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in “Stronger,” opening nationwide Friday, could be next on the list — as he portrays Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.