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Why Zyra Gorecki 'Adores' That She Can Play Izzy on La Brea as an Actual Amputee
"For Izzy, I know what it’s like to experience the pain, the emotion, the life that comes with being an amputee," she said.
Early on in Season 1 of NBC's hit sci-fi series La Brea, it's revealed that the youngest member of the Harris family, Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), lost her leg in a car accident two to three years prior to the events of the premiere. As the series progresses, it's revealed that her mother, Eve (Natalie Zea), feels responsible for Izzy losing her leg because she was with Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez)—with whom she was having an affair—at the time of her daughter's crash.
Like her on-screen counterpart, Gorecki is also an amputee. The actress lost her leg in a logging accident when she was 14 years old. She heard about the part of Izzy while attending Camp No Limits, a camp created for children with limb differences.
“I thought, I want to do something that actually shows people that you can do it—whatever it is—regardless of what you look like,” Gorecki told Glamour about getting into acting. “I adore that they wanted an actual amputee for the amputee character. Huge.”
The 20-year-old also told The Hollywood Reporter, "As an amputee, you bring a totally different mental state to a character with an amputation. For Izzy, I know what it’s like to experience the pain, the emotion, the life that comes with being an amputee. So I understand her reactions and choices in a way that a fully limbed person wouldn’t."
Season 2 of La Brea returns Tuesday, September 27 at 9/8c on NBC.
Stream La Brea the next day on Peacock.
