Ruth Morris, who was born without a left forearm, plays a body double in the Coen Brothers' "True Grit." Photo courtesy of DFW.com.

Texas social worker Ruth Morris, MSW, said it was a thrill being a body-double in the Coen Brothers’ new film “True Grit,” which will be released on Wednesday.

 Morris, 29, who was born without a left forearm, also hopes she can use her portrayal to raise public awareness about limb loss.

Morris is planning a red carpet party about the movie in January to raise funds to help limb loss organizations she has worked with as a social worker. In the past few years Morris has provided grief counseling to people who lost limbs, helping them and their families adjust to the loss.

“There has been a lot of excitement and a lot of support from family and friends for this opportunity I have,” said Morris, who earned her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. Morris is now at the University of Texas working on a doctorate in public health, which she said should complement her social work.

The Coen brothers version of “True Grit” stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl who enlists the aid of a Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshall to track down her father’s murderer. According to news reports the film is not supposed to be a total remake of a 1969 classic starring John Wayne and will more closely follow the original book by Charles Portis.

We do not want to give away a key plot detail but Mattie ends up losing an arm during her quest for revenge and justice for her father. Morris plays a body double for actress Elizabeth Marvel, who portrays the grown-up Mattie Ross.

Ruth Morris. Photo courtesy of DFW.com.

Morris, who had to wear uncomfortable corsets, wigs, heavy petticoats and other 19^th century fashions to play the adult Mattie, hopes her portrayal of a woman who is living with dignity with a lost limb will strike a resonance with audiences.

“I hope it leads to the opportunity to raise some awareness about limb loss and people with disabilities,” she said.

According to this article on DFW.com, the “True Grit” casting director last spring was looking for a body double who was missing a limb. Morris’ family, friends and contacts in the prosthetics field forwarded her emails about the film and she ended up landing the part.

The film was made in Austin, Texas, so Morris could drive to the set over the two weeks it took to film the role.

“It was incredible. It was really a neat experience especially to fall in my lap,” Morris told SocialWorkersSpeak.org during a telephone interview.

Morris said working with directors Joel and Ethan Coen, co-stars such as Jeff Bridges and photography director Roger Deakins went off without a hitch. She even had her own small dressing trailer.

“Everyone was just an incredibly nice person and down to earth and also the actress I body doubled for,” she said. “They treated me like a normal person and nobody acted like a diva or a star.”

To learn more about how social workers help people live with disabilities and physical and mental illnesses, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Health and Wellness Web page by clicking here and Mind and Spirit Web page by clicking here.