A Wake County actor with Down syndrome is having a big year: Matthew Schwab just made his acting debut in the feature film Horsegirls, which premiered at The Cary Theater in downtown Cary, and next month he's getting married. Schwab plays Felix, the best friend and Halloween-store co-worker of Margarita, a 22-year-old autistic woman navigating independent adulthood in the film.
Horsegirls, written and directed by Lauren Meyering from a screenplay that made the prestigious 2020 Black List, first premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2025 before reaching U.S. theaters this year, according to Tribeca Film Festival. As ABC11 News reports, Schwab is a Wake County actor with Down syndrome who made his acting debut playing a man with Down syndrome in the film, and Horsegirls is now playing in theaters across the country as well as on streaming platforms.
Schwab told the outlet that he was drawn to Horsegirls because of its story and its portrayal of the challenges faced by the main character, and that he loves his life with Down syndrome. He said the film depicts struggles involving autism, adulthood, independence, single parenthood and cancer, and that films like Horsegirls highlight people with developmental disabilities and their importance in society. His mother, Michelle Schwab, said seeing her son's name on the screen alongside actors she knows was memorable, per the same report.
A Local Premiere With National Roots
Horsegirls is scheduled to keep playing at The Cary Theater on August 26, August 29, September 3 and September 4, with an August 29 screening set to include a question-and-answer session with Schwab. The film's path to Cary followed a run of festival acclaim: it won the Grand Jury Best Feature Film award at the 2026 Seattle Film Festival and the Audience Choice award at the Cordillera International Film Festival, according to a YouTube recap of the film's awards run.
The film's lead, Lillian Carrier, who plays Margarita, is an autistic performer and disability advocate previously seen in Freeform's Everything's Gonna Be Okay, the same YouTube recap notes. Carrier has spoken about advocating for neurodivergent representation and set accessibility in Hollywood, and Horsegirls stands out for casting actors with Down syndrome and autism in lead and key supporting roles rather than relying on neurotypical performers.
Why Authentic Casting Still Stands Out
That casting choice matters against a stark industry backdrop. A USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study found that only 2.2% of speaking characters in the top 100 grossing U.S. films of 2023 were depicted with a disability, a figure that has barely moved since 2015, when it stood at 2.4%, according to Performers Magazine. Separate research from the Ruderman Family Foundation has found that between 80% and 95% of characters with disabilities in major film and television productions have historically been played by non-disabled actors.
From Holly Springs Classrooms to the Silver Screen
Schwab's path to Horsegirls runs through Wake County institutions. He graduated from Holly Springs High School in 2017 with an Occupational Course of Study diploma and later completed Project SEARCH, an internship-based workplace preparation program at Wake Technical Community College, according to GiGi's Playhouse Raleigh. He now serves on that organization's Board of Managers — GiGi's Playhouse Raleigh is a Down Syndrome Achievement Center based in downtown Cary — and also sits on the Board of Directors for First in Families of North Carolina.
To maintain an independent adult life in Apex, Schwab receives Supported Living Level II services through Alliance Health, which has assisted him with community transition, occupational therapy and transportation funding. Outside of acting, Schwab runs his own public speaking business, Matthew Schwab Speaks, and in 2019 delivered a TEDx talk titled How I Know Including People with Down Syndrome is a Good Thing. ABC11 News reports he continues to make international speaking appearances focused on encouraging inclusion and advocating for people with developmental disabilities.
A Wedding on the Horizon
Schwab's milestone year isn't limited to the screen. He is engaged to Lucia Romano, and the couple plans to marry on September 26 in Chapel Hill, according to ABC11 News. For a family that already watched his name roll across the credits of a nationally released film, the wedding adds another marker to a year Michelle Schwab has called memorable.
