The hit NBC show “This Is Us” season 4 premiered on Tuesday, September 24. One of the new primary characters featured this season is a blind musician played by actor Blake Stadnik. Blind characters in television shows is not unheard of; however, it is rare that the actor cast to play this type of role is in fact blind in real life.

“It was an interesting casting process because we wanted to cast a blind actor," said showrunner Dan Fogelman. "We had started our casting process very early, even in our off-season. I was looking for a leading man who was without sight and who could be funny, charming, accessible, and sweet. One of the wonderful things about our casting department was it wasn't like they only found Blake. There were a bunch of really viable, wonderful casting choices that came through our casting department. Blake, when he came to us, was clearly the guy."

“This is Us” is not Stadnik’s first role as an actor on stage. He graduated from Penn State’s musical theater program. Since then, the young man has performed in several theater productions: Newsies, Sweeney Todd, 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls.

SDCB invites you to reach out if you would like assistance with vision loss or blindness. We offer several vision rehabilitation programs.

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