I like to play a diverse range of characters.
We have a very long history in movies where characters
that are deaf happen to be victims
and to be pitied and need help.
They can be heroes. They can be successful.
They can work in whatever field.
They just happen to be deaf.
My character is Frank Rossi.
And his father owned a fishing business.
It's multigenerational.
And I depend on the business to support my family.
The only problem is communication.
And that's why my daughter is called a CODA.
She's a child of deaf adults.
And I'm thrilled that my child can understand me
because we use the same language.
There's the connection, there's the humor,
and that bond is very tight.
You know, I was born deaf.
And that feels normal to me.
That's life.
The story made me hearken back to when I was young.
After I graduated from high school,
my dad was in a car accident.
And he ended up becoming a quadriplegic from the neck down.
And so I ended up going
to Gallaudet University for a couple of years,
and I didn't feel so comfortable about that.
I wanted to go back to my family and support my family.
And a few years later, my dad came to me and he said,
"Troy, you need to go ...
you need to live your life."
And just that letting go and how painful that is,
I remember how I did that
in my life with my father, and now my daughter
getting ready to graduate.
I don't think I'm ready. I don't know.
Going back and forth between two different worlds.
I've learned to do that here at home.
I'm a part of deaf culture, we're noisy, we fart out loud ...
it doesn't matter. We slam the doors, the water's dripping.
It doesn't matter.
But I feel bad for my daughter sometimes.
We are a minority and are often overlooked.
And when you bring somebody on that happens to be disabled,
blind, in a wheelchair or deaf, there's fear there, right?
That's normal to have that sudden fear.
You don't know how to navigate things.
But just add "less" to that fear. Right?
It becomes fearless.
And then it's smooth from there.
I'm hoping that Hollywood
becomes less and less fearful working with diversity.