Marlee Matlin on How Far Deaf Actors Have Come

The following ICON 2022 preview is an edited excerpt from a Q&A that first appeared on PRsay.

Marlee Matlin lost her hearing when she was 18 months old. As a deaf child growing up in the Chicago suburbs, she was inspired by Linda Bove, a deaf actress who played Fonzie’s love interest on the hit TV show “Happy Days.” 

At age 21, Matlin won an Academy Award for her role in the 1986 film “Children of a Lesser God.” Most recently, she co-starred in “CODA,” which earned three Academy Awards, including for Best Picture. 

Along with her successful acting career, Matlin has been an activist, raising awareness for humanitarian causes. 

Matlin is the keynote speaker on Nov. 14 during ICON 2022 in Grapevine, Texas. During a phone interview with PRSA, she talked about the legacy of “CODA,” the impact of the Fonz and the importance of advocacy. Jack Jason, who has been Matlin’s sign-language interpreter and “voice” for the past 35 years, interpreted the interview for her. 

What were your earliest thoughts about “CODA”?

This script stood out so strongly to me for several reasons. One, because it was authentically written and it represented our community in a very positive light, something you don’t see very often. 

It also had the distinction of being a script with three deaf characters carrying the film. And the fact that audiences embraced it so wholeheartedly and it won the Oscar, was just icing on the cake. I was accused, way back during the “Children of a Lesser God” award season, of not deserving the Oscar because I was a deaf person playing a deaf role. That’s how far we’ve come.

What do you think the film’s lasting effect will be, especially for the deaf community?

You can tell great stories with deaf actors. You can have successful films. You can have critically acclaimed films. Telling universal stories with people who typically have not been afforded the opportunity to be in film or to have their stories told, can be done.

Growing up, you saw deaf actress Linda Bove play Fonzie’s love interest on an episode of “Happy Days.” What impact did she have on you?

Oh, a huge impact. I really hadn’t seen anybody on television who was like me or who I could look up to and say, “Oh, I want to do that,” until I saw Linda. I had been acting already, but to see [her] on television gave me more drive and more incentive. To see a deaf woman acting opposite “The Fonz” was a dream come true.

You were 21 years old when you won the Oscar for Best Actress for “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987. Did you feel pressure to be an advocate for the deaf community at that time?

I didn’t feel the pressure until people would say, “Marlee, you have to speak up for us, you have to advocate for us.” I was more than happy to take on the mantle of responsibility. As much as it helped the community, it helped me, too.

When did you start feeling comfortable in the role of an advocate?

When I was sitting in front of Congress [in 1991] and I told them that televisions needed to be equipped with devices that allowed closed-captioning — and to watch each member of the Senate panel say “yes.”

Please visit the PRSA website to learn more about ICON 2022, Nov. 13-15 in Grapevine, Texas, featuring top-notch thought leaders, breakout sessions and multiple networking opportunities.