WE'RE BACK WITH THE STAR OF "CODA," MARLEE MATLIN.
NOW YOU'RE STARRING IN THE FILM "CODA."
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
AND WHAT DOES THAT TITLE MEAN?
>> SO CODA STANDS FOR "CHILD OF DEAF ADULT."
WHICH MEANS THAT I'M A MOTHER,s AND ALL MY KIDS ARE
HEARING.
SO THEY ARE CODAS.
SO I'M THE DEAF ADULT.
AND THE MOVIE-- WHO HAS SEEN IT?
WHO HAS SEEN THE MOVIE, BY THE WAY?
( LIGHT APPLAUSE ) ONE, TWO, THREE...
ANYWAY, SO IT'S ABOUT A FAMILY OF FOUR WHO HAPPEN TO BE DEAF--
WELL, ONE IS NOT DEAF.
AND THEY ARE LIVING IN A SMALL LITTLE TOWN AND GOING ABOUT
THEIR BUSINESS FISHING AND RELYING ON THEIR DAUGHTER WHO IS
HEARING TO INTERPRET FOR THEM.
AND THEN ONE DAY, SHE COMES IN AND SAYS, "I HAVE AN INTEREST IN
SOMETHING, AND IT IS SINGING."
AND THAT'S NOT PART OF THEIR LIVES, CLEARLY, AS DEAF PEOPLE.
SO THEY ARE SORT OF THROWN FOR A LOOP.
AND THEN IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE FILM ABOUT HOW THEIR
FAMILY CHANGES, AND WHAT THEY EVENTUALLY...
THE ENDING IS GOOD.
I JUST HAVE TO SAY, THE ENDING IS GOOD.
>> Stephen: I KNOW IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU.
THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER IT WOULD BE ALL HEARING
IMPAIRED OR DEAF ACTORS ACTUALLY PLAYING THE PARTS OF THE DEAF
CHARACTERS, AND I KNOW IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU, FOR
THE-- FOR THOSE PARTS TO BE PLAYED BY DEAF ACTORS.
IT MIGHT BE SELF-EVIDENT WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT I'D LOVE
TO HEAR FROM YOU.
WHY IS THAT SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING TO HAVE DEAF
REPRESENTATION IN MOVIES?
>> BEING IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS FOR 35 YEARS, AND
HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO LOTS OF WORK, AND I'VE BEEN VERY
FORTUNATE.
IT DIDN'T COME EASY.
I HAD TO, YOU KNOW, REACH OUT, GET CREATIVE, GET WORK FOR
MYSELF BECAUSE I'M DEAF.
AND NOT EVERYONE WOULD SAY, GREAT, LET'S PUT HER IN.
LET'S HIRE MARLEE.
AND I STRUGGLED AND I GOT MORE AND MORE WORK, AND I HAD TO
HUSTLE.
AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO SOUND LIKE I'M COMPLAINING-- MAYBE A
LITTLE BIT.
WELL, WHAT CAN YOU DO?
NOW WHEN I HEARD THEY WERE CASTING OR THE STUDIO WAS
THINKING OF PUTTING A HEARING ACTOR IN THE ROLE WHO HAD A NAME
OR BOX OFFICE IN THIS ROLE, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT?
ALL THESE YEARS OF DEAF ACTORS BEING DISMISSED AND PEOPLE
PLAYING DEAF, I THOUGHT IT'S TIME.
WE'VE GOT TO STOP.
I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN ANY LONGER.
AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS BECAUSE I HAD TO SPEAK UP.
NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF, BUT FOR ALL DEAF ACTORS OUT THERE-- DEAF
DIRECTORS, DEAF WRITERS-- WHOEVER IT IS WHO IS WORKING AND
LOOKING FOR WORK AND AS TALENTED ASANYONE ELSE IN THE BUSINESS.
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID.
I PUT MY FOOT DOWN, AND I'M THRILLED THAT "CODA" MADE A LOT
OF NOISE AND WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF RESPECT, AND I HAVE TO SAY
THAT YOU CANNOT JUST PUT ON A COSTUME AND BE DEAF LIKE YOU
DO-- AND TAKE IT OFF AT THE END OF THE DAY.
I THINK STUDIOS WHO NOW SEE THE FILM "CODA," CAN UNDERSTAND,
LOOK, DEAF ACTORS ARE GREAT, FINE.
AND NOT TO JUST USE THEM LIKE, WE'RE PUTTING THEM IN THE
BACKGROUND AND CHECK OFF THAT BOX.
HOPEFULLY THEY CAN CONTINUE WHAT WE DID WITH "CODA" FOR MANY
YEARS TO COME.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: HOPEFULLY SO.
THE NICE THING IS, THE NICE THING IS, IS THAT THE CAST WAS
RECENTLY NOMINATED FOR THE SAG AWARD FOR BEST ENSEMBLE, WHICH
IS A LOVELY-- A LOVELY HONOR.
( APPLAUSE )
THAT MEAN?
>> IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME.
I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
>> Stephen: IT'S ALL RIGHT.
>> IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME BECAUSE THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
PEERS, WHO ARE VOTING FOR US, AND THEY'RE FRIENDS, AND I THINK
IT'S A BIG DEAL, THE FACT THAT THEY RECOGNIZE US AS DEAF ACTORS
IS JUST-- IT'S A LONG TIME COMING.
IT'S ABOUT TIME.
IT'S THAT KIND OF RECOGNITION THAT WE WANTED.
AND, YEAH, HOPEFULLY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE HOME A STATUE.
( APPLAUSE )
CHARACTER IN "CODA," JACKIE, IS A MOTHER TO A TEENAGER.
YOU'VE RAISED TEENAGERS.
WERE YOU A-- WERE YOU-- I KNOW, I KNOW.
IT'S DIFFICULT.
I'VE RAISED TEENAGERS, TOO.
WERE YOU A DIFFICULT TEENAGER?
WERE YOU REBELLIOUS?
>> WELL, MY PARENT ARE NO LONGER ALIVE, BUT THEY'RE UP THERE
LAUGHING RIGHT NOW AT YOUR QUESTION.
I MEAN, THEY PUT UP WITH A LOT FROM ME.
THEY ARE, THEY'RE LAUGHING RIGHT NOW.
THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES THAT HAPPENED TO ME, WHEN MY KIDS ARE
OBNOXIOUS-- AND I LOVE MY KIDS.
DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME.
I LOVE YOU, KIDS.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, ONE TIME, I MEAN, I
WOULD ALWAYS PLAY THE DEAF CARD.
THAT'S WHAT I DID.
NO PAGERS, NO CELL PHONES, NOTHING.
SO I WOULD CALL MY DAD WITH TWO MINUTES BEFORE MY CURFEW WAS
SUPPOSED TO END AND SAY, "DAD, I RAN OUT OF GAS, I'LLING HOME
WHENEVER I CAN GET HOME, GOOD-BYE, QUICK."
THEY COULDN'T RESPOND BECAUSE I COULDN'T HEAR THEM.
>> Stephen: IF THEY SAID, "NO, YOU HAVE TO COME HOME NOW," YOU
COULD SAY "I DIDN'T HEAR YOU."
>> THAT'S IT, HUNG UP THE PHONE.
I'LL BE HOME LATER, 4:00 IN THE MORNING.
>> Stephen: DID THEY BUY THAT?
>> YES AND NO.
EVENTUALLY THEY JUST GAVE UP.
I MEAN, I'M THE BABY OF THE FAMILY, SO I GOT AWAY WITH A LOT
OF STUFF.
>> Stephen: MARLEE, TESTIFYING LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> STEPHEN: "CODA" IS AVAILABLE ON APPLE TV+.
MARLEE MATLIN, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH STAR OF "STATION ELEVEN," MACKENZIE
DAVIS.