Luke

"Grandma said that I defy clinical categorisation. I'm just as special as everybody else, maybe even a little bit more."

Luke is the main character in the 2012 comedy film The Story of Luke.

Character creation
Direct Alonso Mayo's mother runs a school for people with developmental disabilities, Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú. Initially the school was based at their house, meaning Alonso grew up around people with developmental disabilities. The crew also went to visit the center to do research for the film. Alonso arranged for Lou Taylor Pucci to spend some time with 4 young autistic men from a wide range of the spectrum to prepare for the role. The intention was to create a character and film that is more light-hearted and can be laughed with but not laughed at.

Biography
His mother Sarah abandoned him when he was 4, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents Maggie and Jonas. Initially he went to a special education school but later he was homeschooled by his grandmother and attained a high school diploma. Maggie also taught him cooking, and he attained has a cooking certification via distance learning as well. When his grandmother dies, his grandfather can't look after him anymore and he temporarily goes to live with his aunt Cindy, uncle Paul and two cousins Brad and Megan. He wants to find a job and get a girlfriend. Eventually he lands a non-paying job at a tech company, where he works under the abrasive and cynical Zack. Zack is also autistic and decides to take on Luke as a case study and teach him how to interact with neurotypicals. Luke tries to reconnect with his mother, but she gets up and leaves him again. He also asks out Maria, the woman at the front desk of the job center, but she turns him down.

Appearance
Luke is a young man, around mid-twenties. He wears rather old-fashioned clothes because he was usually dressed by his grandparents. Later on, when he buys his own clothes, he opts for something more business-casual.

Autism
Luke is stated to be autistic within the film. He is easily overwhelmed by noise and is seen to cover his ears on multiple occasions. He gets very upset by people yelling or screaming. He takes things very literally, which sometimes leads to friction with other characters.