Seth Fedelin shares how he prepared to portray a character struggling with dyslexia in “She Who Must Not Be Named.”
Seth Fedelin is stepping into unfamiliar territory with “She Who Must Not Be Named”—and he’s doing it without the usual actor safety net of going full method.
In the film, Seth plays James, a character with dyslexia—a learning condition that affects a person’s ability to read, process language, and sometimes remember information. It’s often misunderstood, with people mistakenly equating it with low intelligence, when in reality, it simply means the brain processes words differently.
For Seth, the role wasn’t about dramatizing the condition, but understanding it just enough to make it feel real. “James’ dyslexia is not so severe,” he shared with radar Entertainment during a media gathering. “He hasn’t reached the point where it’s already hard to deal with it every day. So I didn’t go into method acting.”
Still, preparation meant rewiring how he approached scenes. Instead of memorizing everything to perfection, Seth leaned into uncertainty. “I would only read a specific page of the script once. So if I forget it or get rattled, and what comes out is confusion, then that’s it,” he explained. “I kept repeating to myself that I couldn’t remember the person I’m talking to.”
It’s a subtle but intentional choice—mirroring the everyday struggles of someone who might lose track of names, conversations, or details mid-moment.
The role also became a learning experience. While Seth had heard of dyslexia before, this was the first time he truly engaged with it.
“I discovered that it really happens. There are things we don’t know about ourselves. Maybe five percent of us have that—it’s hard for us to read, to remember, to understand.”
But Seth emphasized that James is not defined by the condition alone.
“Sometimes, it’s hard for him to understand—but he also chooses not to. He chooses not to remember the names of the women he dated. May bubog siya sa puso niya, and we can see that in the film.”
That emotional layer comes straight from the story crafted by writer Lawrence Nicodemus, whose connection to dyslexia is deeply personal.
“I have a cousin who became my best friend who has that kind of disorder,” Nicodemus shared. “We grew up together, and it was hard for him to read. People thought he was stupid, but he’s not.”
It was only after medical consultation that his cousin was diagnosed with dyslexia, reframing everything Nicodemus had observed growing up.
“He’s not weak. He just has a different condition.”
The experience stayed with him—and eventually found its way into his writing. Inspired further by the Bollywood film “Taare Zameen Par,” Nicodemus saw an opportunity to explore dyslexia in a different context: romance.
“I wanted to tackle how to fall in love with a dyslexic person,” he said. “Because it’s not widely known. Some people are even embarrassed to admit they have it.”
That perspective gives “She Who Must Not Be Named” an emotional core that goes beyond the typical love story. It asks not just how we love, but how we understand, especially when someone experiences the world differently.
Directed by Christopher Novabos and produced by Solar Films, the film also stars Francine Diaz. The film hits cinemas nationwide on April 29.
I would only read a specific page of the script once. So if I forget it or get rattled, and what comes out is confusion, then that’s it. I kept repeating to myself that I couldn’t remember the person I’m talking to.
Seth Fedelin
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