Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Marlee Matlin explains why she was ‘upset’ after CODA’s Best Picture win

‘I was very upset when it went down,’ the actor said

Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Wednesday 29 January 2025 16:16 GMT
Comments
Trailer: CODA premieres 13 August

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Marlee Matlin has revealed why she was left disappointed after CODA won an Oscar in 2022.

The film, written and directed by Sian Heder, starring Matline, Troy Kotsur, Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Daniel Durant, made history as the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to win Best Picture.

Matlin, whose new documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore premiered at Sundance Film Festival this week, admitted she was saddened to not be given a moment to speak when receiving the award.

Speaking in the documentary, the CODA star – who has been deaf since she was 18 months old – said: “I was very upset when it went down,” per Entertainment Weekly.

“I wanted to say thank you for supporting my community and my culture,” she added.

In a clip from the ceremony included in the documentary, CODA producers Philippe Rousselet and Patrick Wachsberger can be seen accepting the Oscar.

Matline then makes her way to the microphone as Wachsberger concludes his speech, however, she wasn’t given time to make her remarks.

Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin in ‘Coda'
Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin in ‘Coda' (Apple TV+)

In backstage footage from the night of the ceremony, the CODA star spoke to a reporter and revealed she had hoped to say “I’m not alone anymore.”

Matlin – who won an Oscar in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God – had been known as the only deaf actor to win an Oscar. But when CODA won Best Picture and Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor she was no longer singled out.

The Walking Dead star Lauren Ridloff, who also appears in the documentary explains that the words for “only” and “alone” are similar in American Sign Language, making Matlin’s identifier all the more solitary.

It comes after Matlin and fellow Sundance Film Festival jurors Jeremy O Harris and Eliza Hittman walked out of the premiere of Magazine Dreams on Friday (20 January) after subtitles failed to appear on screen.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Troy Kotsur, Matlin and Daniel Durant in ‘CODA'
Troy Kotsur, Matlin and Daniel Durant in ‘CODA' (Apple)

Joana Vicente, the CEO of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement that the closed captioning device, which relies on Wi-Fi, had been checked before the screening and was working, but malfunctioned nonetheless.

Representatives for Matlin declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.

Accessibility at film festivals has been a major topic for years, and the incident once again spotlighted how organisers are trying to make changes to accommodate all fans.

Vicente said her team has been working hard in that area, but acknowledged there is more to be learned.

“We are committed to improving experiences & belonging for all festival attendees,” the statement read. “We consider accessibility as one of the primary drivers of institutional excellence and this work is done in partnership with film teams.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in