Photo: Jeff Vespa
WhenMarlee Matlinwon the Best Actress Oscar at age 21, she was the first deaf person to do so. 34 years later, she is still the only deaf actor to have won the award.
The actress, who has been deaf since she was 18 months old after a childhood illness, has been advocating for more inclusion of the deaf community in Hollywood since being thrust into the spotlight at 21. Matlin tells PEOPLE she wants to remind others to expand their mindset about what diversity and inclusion really means.
“A lot of people forget that diversity also includes deaf and disabled people,” Matlin, 55, tells PEOPLE via her interpreter and longtime friend Jack Jason. “I’m still seeing lack of representation, whether you’re talking about in magazines, or online, or on television, or in film. I still feel we’ve got to remind people constantly.”
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“In this particular case, I did have clout,” she continues (deaf actor Troy Katsur was hired for the role). “I was speaking on behalf of my community too. Playing deaf or disabled is not a costume. There’s no offense to those previously cast roles where people might’ve played a disabled characters: Daniel Day-Lewis inMy Left Foot, Dustin Hoffman inRain Man, Al Pacino inScent of a Woman. I mean, they’re all great actors. I really have the utmost respect for them, but I can’t imagine us doing that any longer,” she says. “There are plenty of deaf actors, plenty of actors with disabilities who are equally able to play those roles.”
What Matlin loves most aboutCODAis that audiences “get to watch a deaf family grow and learn,” she says. “I was really proud to be part of this very beautiful film. We want people to know there’s a culture out there other than what the [hearing community] experiences, and it deserves respect and attention. I do hope that when the movie comes out, that people will come up and say, ‘Hey, I love this film, the whole package.’ And I hope that they will say, ‘Thank you for doing something so different like this. Thank you for teaching us, thank you for inspiring us, thank you for telling us a great story.'”
Meanwhile Matlin, who is next set tostar in a workplace comedyabout a deaf interpreter, says she is always hustling for new opportunities and challenges.
“I still have to hustle, I still have to look for work,” she says. “But I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been happy with the work that I’ve done, and recognized for the work that I’ve done, whether we’re talking aboutSeinfeld,The West Wingor Switched at Birth. I’m proud of the fact that when I work with people on set, that I’m able to make an impact on them, and show them what a deaf actor can do. How we can achieve, together.”
source: people.com
