Paramount Pictures adopts Ruderman Family Foundation guidelines; commits to auditioning more disabled actors

Paramount Pictures, a ViacomCBS company

MAY 9, 2021 - Last week, Variety reported that Paramount Pictures has joined a growing number of companies in the entertainment industry pledging to increase the representation of disabled actors by following the Ruderman Family Foundation guidelines for auditioning.

By following the Ruderman guidelines, Paramount Pictures pledges to actively encourage actors with disabilities to audition for their productions. The full pledge reads:

“We recognize that disability is central to diversity, that the disability community comprises the largest minority in our nation, and that people with disabilities face seclusion from the entertainment industry. We understand that increasing auditions, no matter the size of the role, is a critical step toward achieving inclusion in the industry. This studio pledges to increase the number of actors and actresses with disabilities who audition for parts on television and in film.”

Paramount isn’t the only company under the ViacomCBS umbrella to join the effort. CBS Entertainment became the first in the industry to sign the Ruderman pledge in June of 2019.

Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos said of the pledge, “Inclusion of individuals with disabilities is central to an authentic commitment to diversity in our industry and in our community. [...] We are proud to adopt these guidelines as a crucial step in the ongoing work of prioritizing and furthering diversity and inclusion both in the making and in the telling of the stories we share with audiences everywhere.”

Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman praised the commitment in a statement, saying, “Paramount Pictures has taken a significant step toward cementing a culture of inclusion that the company has already put into practice for years, including by working with actors with disabilities across its divisions and making casting decisions that reflect authentic representation in high-profile roles. [...] As more studios adopt these guidelines, disability will continue to assume its rightful role as part of the definition of diversity in Hollywood, and the entertainment industry will be able to fulfill its full potential as a force for prosocial change.”