Man replaces his fingers with his toes in order to get a ‘grasp’ of his dream acting job

Richard Stott was born with a rare birth defect called Poland Syndrome, which causes webbing to the fingers and deformity, and left his left hand almost useless. He has had around 15 operations to date, but the most successful was when he had the second toe on each foot removed and grafted onto his deformed hand. But rather than becoming withdrawn, 28-year-old Richard has embraced his disability, and is now using it to his advantage to get niche roles – in plays like Richard III or Beauty and the Beast.
He said: “I was having a hard time using my hand when I was younger, but I didn’t notice it.
“My feet look exactly the same. People don’t notice at all – there’s hardly any scarring. It doesn’t affect me.”
After finishing school with exemplary drama grades, Richard moved to Manchester where he studied at the Arden School of Theatre.
He said: “I went into more behind-the-scenes, producing roles. I had some bad experiences in early auditions.

“My first ever audition was for Commercial Castings. The first thing they get you to do is hold up your hands.
“I thought, ‘oh my god, I didn’t know they were going to do this’.
“I held up my hands to the camera and the casting director, quite rightly, said, ‘what’s wrong with that hand?’
“How do you explain that? He didn’t dismiss me but I knew straight away I hadn’t got the role.
“I don’t blame the acting industry. The public have got a responsibility to be more accepting – they’re creating the demand.
Richard says that having Poland syndrome “narrows down the casting bracket”, but since his toe swap op aged 11, he is able to hold things properly in his left hand.