Disabled Author Slams Me Before You For Featuring His Book Without Permission

Francesco Clark, a quadriplegic author whose book ‘Walking Papers’ appears in the movie 'Me Before You’, has slammed the producers of the film for failing to ask for his permission to use it.

Clark says that his memoir, which details his experiences after a spinal cord injury left him paralysed, is featured in a 'key scene’ in the movie.

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He told Page Six: “I was never asked if my book could be included in the movie, nor was I ever told that it would be included.

“While I understand that this movie is based on a work of fiction, my book - and my life - is not.”

The movie has come under heavy criticism from disability campaigners, who object to its perceived message that a life with disability is not worth living.

In the movie, based on the novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes, a wealthy businessman, played by Sam Claflin, is left quadriplegic after an accident and plans his death at an assisted suicide clinic.

Clark, a long-time ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, told the paper that he’s 'worked tirelessly to show people that being quadriplegic isn’t the end of your life’.

“While I am by no means taking a stance on the issue of assisted suicide, I feel compelled to express that I am angry to be unwittingly associated with a storyline that suggests the only option for those who sustain injuries like mine is death,” he added.

“I had no involvement in the making of this movie, and am in fact saddened by the association. I will continue to spread a message of positivity and hope for those who have experienced spinal cord injuries, either directly or as a loved one. I am a prime example, along with many others, that life does not just ‘go on,’ it gets better and better with each day.

“My life is real, in contrast to this movie. I was not consulted and was included in the film, I did not give permission to be included and I do not endorse the message of this film in any way.”

Last month, the London premiere of the movie, which also stars Emilia Clarke, was picketed by disability campaigners, who had raised similar objections to its storyline and branded the film a ‘disability snuff movie’.

The film’s director Thea Sharrock defended the project earlier this month, suggesting that it had been misunderstood.

“The disappointing thing is when people make a protest when they haven’t either read the book or seen the film. I have no problem with people seeing this film and not liking it for 101 different reasons; you go into every project with that as a possibility,” she said.

“I understood going into it how vulnerable a topic it is and susceptible to very strong opinions. It has big themes in it that are very easy to make quick judgments on.”

Image credits: Warner Bros/PA