evil Star Marissa Bode noted that she’s heard some “really vulgar” and “harmful” comments about Nessarose’s disability since Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation was released on Nov. 22 ” and “offensive” comments.
The actress shared a five-minute video (below) on TikTok on Friday, sharing her thoughts on the “uncomfortable” things circulating online about the character. As a disabled person with a platform, she wanted to use it to draw attention to what she read.
“It’s perfectly okay not to like fictional characters,” she said. “I’m going to admit that I’m biased because I feel differently about Nessa than a lot of you do, and that’s totally fine. I think Nessa is complicated, but that’s the beauty of art. evil These characters and movies wouldn’t be what they are without a different take on these characters and who is truly evil.
She noted that she is a “very” unserious person who enjoys stupid, stupid and harmless jokes. Therefore, jokes about Nessa’s actions or personality are okay because she is fictional. However, jokes about her disability were “very uncomfortable”.
“Disability is not imaginary,” Bode continued. “At the end of the day, I, Marissa, am still disabled and in a wheelchair. So, it’s just a low-hanging fruit that a lot of people are willing to accept.
The actress explained that many of the comments came from non-disabled strangers, and the jokes revolved around not being able to walk, giving the impression that you were laughing at someone rather than laughing with them. But the most frustrating thing for Bode, she said, was that she was afraid to talk or post about such things.
“This is way beyond my capabilities, Marissa, I just need to ignore the comments online,” she said. “These comments don’t exist in a vacuum. Offensive comments that want to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or the disability she deserves, are two very common things that people with real disabilities, myself included, have heard before. Vulgar and harmful comments.
The actress admitted she was also scared because she witnessed firsthand what happened to peers with disabilities who called out ableism but were told to “just make a joke” or “stop complaining.” She said it was not good that they had to give up content creation for the sake of their mental health.
Bode encourages people to stop dismissing each other when they think an experience isn’t real because they haven’t experienced it themselves. Thankfully, she admits, she has learned in her life that jokes about disabilities “are based on ignorance.”
“This would have had a greater impact on my younger self, and I was worried that the younger version of myself would appear somewhere online and be hurt by these comments,” she continued. “I do know and have seen, not in this specific instance, but similar comments made on videos of my disabled peers and disabled creators to the point of once again driving them off the internet. That’s not OK. Please be kind.
Bode concluded: “Finally, what I want to say is evil It’s the ability to listen and understand each other. I sincerely hope that many of you will practice this more and carry this with you.
The first part of the big-screen remake of the musical has broken several records since its release, including the highest-grossing record for a Broadway musical adaptation. Evil: Part 2 Scheduled to be released on November 21, 2025.
