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Actors Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur make movie history in ‘CODA’
In the movie, "CODA" Ruby Rossi played by Emilia Jones is the child of deaf parents, Jackie and Frank Rossi are played by deaf actors Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur.
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“CODA” takes us into the world of the close-knit Rossi family.
Jackie and Frank are happily married with one adult son and a daughter about to graduate high school. But money is tight where they live, a fishing town on Massachusetts’ coast. Finding a way to make ends meet is even harder as a deaf family.
So they rely on the only hearing person in their family, their daughter Ruby, to help them for practically everything, including an awkward doctor’s appointment that involves her parents’ sex life.
Ruby feels the weight of protecting her brother and parents while also discovering her love for singing. It’s a talent her parents will never be able to share.
Marlee Matlin stars as Jackie Rossi. She received an Academy Award for her role in “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987 and is the only deaf actor to have won an Oscar. Troy Kotsur stars as Frank Rossi. He recently became the first male deaf actor to be nominated for a SAG Award. The winners will be announced Feb. 27.
We speak with Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur about authentic representation of deaf culture in Hollywood and why this film breaks barriers. Their interpreters were Jack Jason and Justin Maurer. A transcript is available below for those that are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Marlee Matlin plays Jackie Rossi in the movie, “CODA.” She is the only deaf actor to win an Oscar.
Troy Kotsur plays Frank Rossi in the movie, “CODA.” He’s the first deaf male actor to be nominated for a SAG award.
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