Name a deaf actor. Now name a film about the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Up until recently, the go-to answers might’ve been Marlee Matlin and Children of a Lesser God. While Matlin’s Oscar-winning role is still top of mind, she isn’t alone anymore. Hollywood is recognizing more deaf performers like Millicent Simmonds, Lauren Ridloff, and Matlin’s CODA co-star Troy Kotsur. On that note, Matlin is no longer the sole deaf performer to win an Oscar. We appear to be at a turning point. Then again, it seemed that way when Matlin won her Oscar almost forty years ago.
At the time, people recognized the significance of Matlin’s Academy Award. Yet, journalists argued that Matlin had the “sympathy vote” on her side. Even after becoming the youngest Best Actress winner at 21, people questioned if Matlin would have a career going forward. Of course, she did, having memorable roles on shows like The West Wing, Seinfeld, and The Practice. On the film side, though, she followed up her Oscar win with 1987’s Walker, which Roger Ebert gave zero stars. Hollywood simply wasn’t writing good roles for deaf actors or many roles for deaf actors in general. Meanwhile, Matlin was thrust into a public role as a spokesperson for the deaf community.
Matlin’s impact beyond her acting credits often go overlooked. This, along with Matlin’s personal struggles, are at the forefront of the eye-opening documentary, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. The film serendipitously premiered at Sundance with another great documentary, Deaf President Now!. Not Alone Anymore touches upon Matlin’s involvement in the Deaf President Now protest, as well as the essential role she played in making closed captions the norm for TV viewing. Director Shoshannah Stern, who is also deaf, interviews Matlin without translators, instead using American Sign Language and subtitles. Matlin gets candid, although it’s not like she’s ever been known for biting her tongue.
Through archivable footage, we’re reminded how outspoken Matlin was amid her career breakthrough. That said, being the face (and voice) of the deaf community came with enormous pressure, especially for someone as young as Matlin was. Spokespeople always run the risk of saying the wrong thing. In Matlin’s case, her most controversial move was speaking the nominated names when she presented the Best Actor Oscar a year later. It opened a can of worms Matlin wasn’t prepared for, although it wasn’t her only confrontation Oscar night.
When she won for Children of a Lesser God, the presenter was her co-star and real-life partner at the time, William Hurt. This clip is played twice. The first time, it seems like a joyous moment as Hurt plops a kiss on Matlin with a handshake. The clip plays differently knowing that Hurt had been abusive toward Matlin, who feared getting on stage. Despite Hurt’s smile, Matlin sensed he resented her success. Matlin previously opened up about her toxic relationship with Hurt and other abusers in her memoir, I’ll Scream Later. Her autobiography didn’t go unnoticed upon release, but in a pre-#MeToo era, her accusations against Hurt seemed to fall on, for lack of a better phrase, “deaf ears.”
While Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore isn’t always an easy watch, it’s ultimately an uplifting documentary. Perhaps nobody played a more significant role in building Matlin up than Henry Winkler, who formed a decades-spanning friendship with the actress. One might even call Winkler her second dad. Her biological family is also interviewed, but the most compelling perspective naturally comes from Matlin herself. This is her story in her own words. Matlin is still arguably the most recognized deaf performer in the world. If this film proves anything, though, it’s that many of her contributions have gone unsung.