“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” had its Texas premier at South by Southwest at The Paramount Theatre on Tuesday. The documentary follows the life and career of Marlee Matlin, the first deaf actress to win an Oscar, from starring in “Children of a Lesser God” to advocating for deaf accessibility in Hollywood. The Daily Texan spoke to Matlin and director Shoshannah Stern on the red carpet.
The Daily Texan: When you were first starting out in the industry, what would your younger self think if she knew that she would one day be the subject of a documentary?
Marlee Matlin: (Through a translator) Holy shit. … Good for you. You didn’t give up.
DT: What was the most rewarding part of creating this documentary?
MM: When I saw the film for the first time, it was a blur. … I learned so much about my life that I was really taken aback, because in some of the interviews … I did not realize how I was treated. … Some of the reporters talked to me without realizing how they were talking to me (with) the questions that they posed. There’s no other way to say this — I was badly treated. I thought they were my friends, but because I was so young and naive, I wasn’t clued into that. … I was so glad that I persevered. … Deep down inside me, I never really had the words to express what I was feeling, but this movie does it for me.
DT: What changes do you hope this film brings for deaf talent in the industry?
MM: I hope that the people watching this film will come to an understanding that we deserve respect and (they are) not afraid to write scripts for us and allow us to have work … and not be overlooked or having hearing people play deaf roles. There are wonderful deaf writers, deaf actors, deaf directors (and even) deaf makeup artists.
Shoshannah Stern: (I hope this film shows) that it does matter who is telling stories. We had talented (deaf) people in front of the camera, but I think there is magic that happens when they’re not the only ones in the room — when they have somebody in the writer’s room, fighting for them, (or) when we have deaf directors who know how to frame shots (to) see sign language on the screen. Having to make more space in representation, not just in front of the camera, but all the way around, all the way behind.
