Marlee Matlin is a fighter. At 21, she became the first Deaf performer to win an Oscar for her role as a smart, stubborn custodian in the 1986 film “Children of a Lesser God.” Though the win thrust her into the spotlight, it did not change the barriers she faced as a Deaf woman, nor did it afford her or other deaf actors the same opportunities as hearing actors. The next Oscar win for a Deaf performer did not occur until 35 years later, when Ms. Matlin’s co-star Troy Kotsur won for the 2021 movie “CODA,” in which they played loving parents to a hearing daughter.
The documentary explores the challenges Ms. Matlin has faced throughout her life. The actress said that she battled drug and alcohol addiction and that she was in an abusive relationship with her “Children of A Lesser God” co-star William Hurt, who died in 2022. After Ms. Matlin wrote about the relationship in her 2009 memoir, Mr. Hurt said in a statement: “I did and do apologize for any pain I caused.”
Throughout her career Ms. Matlin has pushed for more acting roles and has become an advocate on deaf issues such as improving accessibility and representation in mainstream media. When she was asked to participate in a documentary about her life, Ms. Matlin insisted on hiring a Deaf, female director. As a result, the documentary, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” is not rooted in sound, and there are no voice-overs — there are only captions — for the American Sign Language conversations.
The film’s director, Shoshannah Stern, who is also an actress, said the project was an opportunity to show viewers how Ms. Matlin experienced the world. The documentary also calls on Hollywood to be more inclusive of stories like this one.
“I want to make people challenge their assumptions of who should be centered in stories and how we see the world,” Ms. Stern said. “But that really requires people in positions of power to start saying yes to stories that are being told differently.”
In an interview, which has been edited and condensed, Ms. Matlin spoke at length about her past and her career in Hollywood.
This was your first time working with a Deaf director. How was that experience?
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to work with a Deaf director and now I’ve gotten that gift. That’s huge for me. I have always wanted to taste what it would be like to work with a director who can sign fluently, without any barriers, disconnect or awkwardness. Shoshannah understood where I was coming from.
At one point in the documentary, you state that acting is freeing. What did you mean by that?
When I’m acting, there’s no barriers. I can be and do whatever I want, whereas in the real world, I’m forced to speak and I’m forced to pay attention in order to get information about what’s going on. When I’m playing a role, I can use my imagination. It allows me to just let go and put the Marlee real-world stuff aside. And I’m free.
As a trailblazer, there must have been a lot of pressure on you to represent the deaf community.
I live in both the hearing and the deaf world. I always have. As I got older, I learned so much about Deaf culture that I never knew while I was growing up. As I’ve worked with and hung out with more deaf people, I’ve learned to pay so much respect to this community and culture.
Sometimes, it can be overwhelming for me. I’m still a little hesitant to dive in, particularly because there are some deaf people who have tried to hurt me. But I’ve learned how to deal with it and I will not let them hurt me again. The first part of my career was very lonely because I chose not to engage with the deaf community. The deaf community can be tough. I’m proud to be in that community, but nobody decides to be deaf. We are who we are, this is who I am. I can only do what I feel is right for me.
In my opinion, using sign language with deaf children works. I also choose to speak because I like to speak. I choose to act because I love acting. I choose to dye my hair blond because I like the color. So, who are people to tell me what it is I should be, and what I should do?
You’ve been criticized by some deaf people in the past, particularly for your decision to speak instead of signing when you were presenting at the 1988 Oscar awards. Do you feel like it was fair?
In all honesty, I was 22 years old when I chose to speak at that Oscars ceremony. I was still growing up. I was still learning about the deaf community. I discovered my Deaf identity when I started my career. I had no knowledge at that time of Deaf history or Deaf institutions. It’s almost like I was living in a bubble — I wasn’t exposed enough to other deaf people in the world. If you asked me now to go back onstage and do the exact same thing at the Oscars today, I would not do it again. I understand the anger the deaf community felt. They felt shut out, and I get it. But back then I did it without any intention of harming the community.
You’ve had a lot of traumatic experiences and went to rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction. But at the time, you lacked access to information and resources. Is this still an issue for deaf people today?
What I went through in terms of domestic violence and sexual abuse took place at a time where I knew it was wrong. Something was off, but I didn’t have the knowledge that it wasn’t right, because there had never been previous discussions about it with my teachers or family. Today, there are organizations for the deaf that deaf folks can use to seek out help. But rehabilitation services for the deaf specifically are sorely lacking — there are hardly any.
I have a few friends who are still struggling and they want to go to rehab, but their insurance won’t cover the cost of an interpreter. We need to have more deaf-owned, deaf-run rehabilitation centers, more deaf therapists, more deaf psychologists, more deaf psychiatrists and more deaf social workers.
What is next for you?
In all honesty, I don’t know. I’m pursuing projects that I’m hopeful will come to life. I’m stubborn and I’m reaching out to people who can make things happen. But the bottom line is I don’t know what’s next except to be with my granddaughter and be with my kids. When I see my granddaughter on FaceTime, I can tell she really wants to dive through the phone so that I can hold her. She’s also been picking up some sign language.
Amanda Morris was the inaugural disability reporting fellow for The New York Times. She uses her experiences as a hard-of-hearing woman with two deaf parents to inform her coverage.
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