Deaf performers in leading roles
Distributor Apple described CODA as the first Best Picture winner with a predominantly Deaf cast in leading roles, and Kotsur as the first Deaf man to win an acting Oscar. Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant play a Deaf family whose hearing daughter is played by Emilia Jones.
Communication remains a barrier
In a PBS interview on 29 March, Kotsur said communication barriers had restricted access to roles. Speaking through interpreter Justin Maurer, he called for “more diversity and more storytelling in Hollywood”. He wanted the award to help Deaf and disabled people, and children of Deaf adults, feel recognised.
Theatre supplied opportunities
Kotsur credited decades of theatre work with developing his skills and giving him opportunities to collaborate with hearing performers. He told PBS that offers and scripts were arriving after the awards, reversing his earlier experience of chasing auditions. He also wanted to tell stories about historical Deaf figures.