Abe Friedtanzer
Representation is at the forefront of Amazon Prime Video’s new series As We See It, which follows the lives of three roommates in their twenties living on the spectrum: Jack (Rick Glassman), Violet (Sue Ann Pien), and Harrison (Albert Rutecki). All three performers identity as living on the autism spectrum in this heartwarming series from Jason Katims, best known for Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, who also has his own personal connection to autism.
Awards Radar had the chance to speak with Glassman and veteran actor Joe Mantegna, who portrays Jack’s father Lou, about the way this father and son interact and how their own experiences compare to their onscreen roles, and with Katims about adapting an existing Israeli series and his enthusiasm about wanting to make this show in the right way.
Glassman shared how he did and didn’t connect with Jack:
“When I was a kid, I had some struggles that were very similar to Jack’s. When I say kid, I don’t mean that Jack is a child by any means. But some of the obstacles and the tics and the forms of communication that I lacked, and the awareness that I lacked, it was like going back into that, which was surprisingly easy and felt really good, that this thing I had to figure out I now got to use as a tool for this. Jack is ashamed of his autism. When I found out about my diagnosis, it made me happy, excited, and proud that these unrelated obstacles became a pattern in my life, and it helped me better understand myself and how to communicate with people. We’re the exact opposite there, with the shame, but with missing social cues and not understanding that people are seeing things different from you, spot-on.”
Watch the full conversations below:
All 8 episodes drop on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, January 21st.
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