‘My lovely son, the Hollywood star’
July 30th, 2007
Max Lewis and his mother, Sandy.
Max was featured in the recent film “Notes on a Scandal.”
Here’s a refreshing first-person article by Sandy Lewis in the (UK) Daily Mail. Sandy’s 13-year-old son Max played opposite Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal,” recently released on DVD. Sandy documents her personal journey, starting with the emotional story of her son’s Down syndrome diagnosis and ending with his successful star turn in Hollywood. Along the way, Sandy learns to ignore the negative predictions of “professionals” and instead to focus on the many strengths of her son, a gifted performer whose smile can light up a room. She has harsh words for the nurse who counseled her to institutionalize her baby, and for the parents who complained when they found their children shared a classroom with Max. She’s looking forward to a bright acting future for Max, who is eagerly seeking roles that are written for “a boy with lots of talent.”
Thisislondon.co.uk has another story on Max. Key quote: he likes acting “because I’m brilliant at it.” For more information about actors with Down syndrome, go to www.dsiam.org, an online service based in Los Angeles.
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August 24th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Another example of a trisomic kid who has done brilliantly! Even though Max’s role was a supporting one, he played it with brio. One of the aspects of this film that was truly great was that it showed him completely integrated into and hugely loved by his family. The film itself is pretty wrenching, though…