Marlee Matlin Opens Up About her Historic Oscars Win and New Documentary

Parade

Watch Marlee Matlin Opens Up About her Historic Oscars Win and New Documentary - Parade on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00I learned so much about myself. Watching that film, the way that she tied it into

00:05my life, and the experiences that I had in my career, and bringing in all those

00:10elements together.

00:15Congratulations on such a moving and truly powerful film. I really just wanted

00:19to start by focusing on the decision to tell your story in this way, in this

00:25documentary format. Of course, we know you already have such a successful book

00:28that told your story, but what about this format was enticing to you?

00:33When I wrote the book, which is many years ago, I wrote it with another author,

00:41and they were wonderful and very helpful, and they got me, pretty much. But it was

00:55in a way where this film does more. Because I'm on screen, telling the story on film,

01:04knowing that it would be more visual. It would come across more clearly about who I am, where

01:10I come from, and why I am, or who I am, the way I am.

01:14And I think, too, there's such an interesting way that the film uses timeline. We start

01:21right off the bat, really, with your historic Oscars win, of course, for Children of a Lesser

01:25God, which you became the first deaf actress to win an Oscar, but also the youngest actress

01:29to win as well. And I found it fascinating that instead of just starting from the beginning,

01:33which we do get there, to your childhood, we start at this moment, and then we get to revisit

01:39it at different times in the film with more context about you and what you were going through.

01:43So talk to me about that, too, and trusting, telling your story in this way that isn't linear.

01:48The way that you saw the film, the way she structured the timeline from the Oscars, then going back

01:54and forth and back and forth, but the way that she structured the timeline, she got right

01:59to the point to talking about how the media, as well as people out there in the community,

02:09perceived me at the time where I was really not clued into it, because I didn't understand

02:15how I was being treated. I'm not talking about all the media, but in particular, the media

02:23or the experiences that I had with people who were asking me questions at the time, it's

02:27really amazing what happened. I was young, I was naive, and I really wasn't in the know

02:34100% how they were treating me until I actually saw the documentary and had a chance to revisit

02:39that, and I learned so much about myself. Watching that film, the way that Shoshana structured

02:46it, the way that she framed it, the way that she tied it into my life, and the experiences

02:51that I had in my career, and then reinforced it with how the deaf community treated me, and

02:58how we've been treated in general, and bringing all those elements together. Every time I watch

03:04the film, I learn something. You start the film off with this huge historic

03:09Oscars moment. Then we keep coming back to it after we have more context, after we know

03:15more about her, as she's reprocessing these big moments as well. So talk to me about that

03:20approach too, in terms of, you could have just started this right from the beginning of

03:25childhood to the end. What made you take that approach as well?

03:28I wanted to go through like a figure eight, in a way, because I think that's really what a lot of us do.

03:40Life is linear. It is. But the way we process it, it's not. We often have to process the same

03:47thing over and over again in our minds and in our bodies to understand, oh, that's

03:52what really happened. But with her Oscar win, Marley's Oscar win, I wanted to show how

04:01much, no offense, hearing people do miss because they are just relying on sound. And so when it's so

04:09celebratory in that room, in the sound mix, we made sure to pull out those specific sounds so that you

04:15could hear people cheering. We elevated all those noises. So people feel like, wow, what a great moment.

04:21But it's because they're not listening. They're not looking with their eyes.

04:25And I remember when I was seven and I saw Marley win her Oscar, I remember watching on TV and thinking,

04:31no, there's something in Marley's face. There's just something in her expression. For her to be brave

04:39enough to finally come out and release in her book what had actually happened, that's what I had been

04:45feeling when I saw her win the Oscar. And I wanted to make sure that the audience could see the story

04:53again, but listen differently. Listen with their eyes to have that realization. Oh, all of her experiences

05:01have been happening right in front of our eyes, which a lot of things now are out in the open. The abuse

05:07happened. It was in the open. They were in front of the public eye. Oppression also happens in front of

05:13out in the open. Discrimination happens out in the open. And a lot of times we just try to claim that we

05:18don't know that it's going on. When I watch, I think, okay, oh, I was forced into being the face of

05:29accessibility that I really wasn't prepared or in the know. I necessarily didn't have the experience

05:36that I could talk about accessibility. All I wanted to do was to talk about closed captioning. That's all

05:41I want to talk about because I loved watching films and television. And then everything blew up from there.

05:46I mean, if I had to do it all over again, I would, I mean, I would understand what they were trying to do

05:52and what I was trying to do, too. What happened can't happen again. How it happened can't happen again.

06:00But it's still going on. It's still going on. We're still being manipulated. It's an oppressive feeling.

06:09It's using the excuse of, well, we just need to be educated and we are asking questions. But we're still trying to explain

06:19or educate still at this point. But it doesn't seem to be making an impact. So hopefully this film will be able to make that impact

06:26and people go, oh, okay, this is what's been happening.

06:28The film also tackles some heavy topics in your life and, of course, abuse that you endured with your ex.

06:34So talk to me, and I know you did a lot of that work through your book, but what about this process again?

06:40Being able to look back on that time and not only how that affected you, but when you finally did get to tell your story

06:48through your book, how it affected maybe your family or how being able to speak out in that way.

06:54Actually, when I wrote the book, it was up to me how much I wanted to reveal.

07:00As far as the film goes, Shoshana made it clear not to really dwell too much on my experiences with domestic violence

07:11and sexual abuse, yet at the same time it was up to me. She allowed me to talk as much as I wanted to talk about

07:17or share as much as I wanted to. In all honesty, in all truth, deaf women in general do experience domestic violence.

07:29The situation is quite, quite urgent for them, and they need help.

07:35As far as my drug abuse goes and talking about it in the film, I decided to become sober, as I indicated,

07:41and that's the best gift I ever gave myself, and I've been sober for 38 years.

07:47There are deaf people out there, probably that people don't know, that need rehab, that need help.

07:52There's almost none in terms of services available for them, so I chose to talk about these two issues

07:57because I knew that it's happening out there that people needed to be clued in on,

08:02that people out there perhaps could have the power or the money to set up programs for them or shelters for them.

08:09There are shelters, there are help, there are organizations, but they are few and far between. I want more.

08:16There's that one particular moment, I know, when you did choose to go to that center,

08:19how you had to pay for your own interpreters there.

08:22And you didn't expect that, of course, as the place you would go to get help.

08:26You know, it's funny, at the time when I was at the Betty Ford Center, I thought,

08:31okay, this is what I need to do? I mean, I had to choose my battles.

08:37I needed rehab, I needed the interpreter, so what am I supposed to do?

08:40So I did ask, look, can you help pay for the interpreters? And they said no.

08:45Again, I asked, I think two or three or four times.

08:50I had to pay for my own access, which is ridiculous.

08:54But that's going on every day. We have to pay for our access. Why?

09:01Do we need to pay for the ramps for people who have mobility issues?

09:05The cities have no problems paying for that.

09:09You know the little sound that they make when you cross the street for people who have visual issues?

09:14They pay for that. Why can't they pay for our interpreters?

09:20A lot has to do with the Americans with Disabilities Act, knowing that these, it's up to them to be, you know,

09:28to make schools accessible and medical facilities accessible.

09:31But a lot of people are still not in the know. We have a lot of work to do.

09:37What does this next chapter look like for you?

09:41The next chapter for me is, first of all, personally, watch my granddaughter grow up.

09:46She's 14 months old and she's really a beautiful presence in my life.

09:51But she gives me the opportunity to watch someone grow.

09:55And I mean, I have four kids.

09:57I've always busy, you know, sort of maintaining and helping and so proud of them, all four of them.

10:03But because Brooklyn doesn't live with me, I'm always looking forward to seeing her again and be able to.

10:09I mean, it's just 20 minutes away.

10:11I feel like I'm there to help her see what she's learning, to watch her growing again.

10:16It's so nice to be able to watch from a distance.

10:19And she loves me, too.

10:21But on a professional level, in terms of the next chapter, that's...

10:26I don't like to talk about it because I don't know what it is that's going to happen.

10:31When I have something, then I always am eager to talk about them.

10:36I'm very excited, but at the same time, I'm sure it applies to a lot of actors out there.

10:43When you're working, you're thinking, this is great.

10:46But then you're also thinking, what's going to happen next?

10:48And you get concerned all over again.

10:50But as we speak, I'm just waiting on answers.

10:54But for now, I'm focused on the documentary and promoting it and encouraging everyone to see it.

11:06I can't wait for you to see it on a couple of days.

11:10I can't wait until I get some time to look at it.

11:12And for a reason.

11:14You're still looking at it.

11:16And looking at it, I'm looking at a moment.

11:18Talk to me now.

11:19A lot of times, I just want to look at it.

11:20And...

11:22You probably want to see it.

11:24I want to see it on Saturday, I just want to see it.

11:26I want to see it.

11:27But look, I will be able to see it.

11:29I can't wait for it really long.

11:31I will not see it.

11:33I can't wait for it.

Category

Transcript

Recommended