The singer faced criticism from some advocates for its depiction of autism and for casting dancer Maddie Ziegler, who is not on the autism spectrum, to play Music Gamble, a nonverbal autistic teenage girl, in the film. Sia and Ziegler are longtime collaborators who worked on “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” together.
The film garnered a number of Golden Globe nominations in February 2021, but also harsh reviews. Sia said she was deeply affected by the backlash and apologized on social media at the time.
Sia revealed that it was Kathy Griffin who helped her, after facing her own media crisis in 2017.
In a new New York Times profile on Griffin, Sia credited the comedian with saving her life.
“I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab,” the singer said. “She saved my life.”
She added that Griffin invited her to dinner at a paparazzi heavy restaurant in Hollywood last November, where the two could get photographed together and create some positive buzz.
