Humorous Hollywood actress 'heard loud and clear'
Erica Tuggle
Issue date: 10/15/09 Section: News
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October is also disability awareness month.
Matlin's roles include parts in films and television shows, including "What the Bleep Do We Know," "Children of a Lesser God," "The West Wing," "The L' Word," "My Name is Earl" and "Desperate Housewives."
Matlin is deaf, so she signed her speech, which was displayed on a screen, shown in type on another screen and spoken aloud to the audience in Roland Hayes by her interpreter, Jack Jason.
Matlin said Hollywood is sometimes not understanding, as told by an executive producer who said: "That Marlee Matlin is great. Is she going to be deaf the whole show?"
In her childhood, Matlin said that she was as happy as a deaf Marcia Brady because of her parents' refusal to send her to special schools hundreds of miles away and their encouragement that Matlin venture outside to do things on her own.
"Our attitudes are the biggest barriers," Matlin said.
Matlin said she has faced challenges in the business as well. Critics have said Matlin did not deserve her awards because she was a deaf actress playing a deaf character, Matlin said. Later, she was criticized about speaking instead of signing on her role in "The West Wing." Matlin said with the encouragement of friends such as Henry Winkler and Whoopi Goldberg she realized she could do whatever she wanted.
"Hollywood is like high school, just with more money," Matlin said. "If you see it that way it becomes easier to tackle."
Matlin said barriers she faces now are more humorous than distressing, are easier to walk around and use humor to diffuse.
"Deaf people deserve respect and to be heard," Matlin said.
She has won an academy award for best actress, and at 21-years-old she was the youngest actress to win an Oscar for best actress and the first deaf Oscar winner.
When asked how she felt about her Oscar win, Matlin said, "I'll scream later,"; the title of her autobiography.
Matlin has also worked to help pass federal legislation to ensure all television sets manufactured in the United States are close captioned compatible. Matlin said she is still working for captioning in movie theaters. Matlin said she will be loud as long as she can.
"Seriously, life is great, and I relish the challenges I face every day," Matlin said. "The handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear but in the mind."
