There is only one appropriate way to celebrate actor Troy Kotsur’s history-making Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination — and it’s in American Sign Language.
The 53-year-old actor became the first deaf man to land a prestigious Academy Award nod for his role in “CODA” Tuesday.
In the acclaimed family drama from Apple, Kotsur plays Frank Rossi, a deaf father and fisherman who — along with his wife (played by deaf actor Marlee Matlin) and son (played by deaf actor Daniel Durant) — relies on his nondisabled daughter Ruby (Emilia Jones) as his link to the hearing world. Ruby is also a talented singer in “CODA” (which stands for “child of deaf adults”), which poses a conflict among the rest of her non-hearing family. “CODA” will also contend at this year’s Oscar ceremony for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay.
Kotsur’s groundbreaking nomination follows that of his “CODA” co-star Matlin, who became the first deaf person to be nominated for, and then win, an Oscar. She won Best Actress for her role in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God.”
Kotsur also recently became the first deaf actor to earn an individual SAG nomination for his performance, sharing a nod for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with Matlin and the rest of the film’s ensemble.
In an interview with “CBS Mornings” over the weekend, Kotsur — who has been acting in television and films since 2001 — shared how he honed his acting chops as a kid by imitating “Tom and Jerry” cartoons on the bus while commuting to the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf.
“There wasn’t any dialogue. Just action and visuals, so I could enjoy it,” Kotsur explained to CBS through ASL and an interpreter. “So, the next day sitting on the bus, all the deaf kids would look at me and we would do theater onboard. I would stand in the aisle and tell the story of ‘Tom and Jerry’ and all of the kids were looking at me doing ‘Tom and Jerry’ and the fight scenes and just loved it. They lit up! And I just felt like I really enjoyed watching their eyes light up.”
Kotsur also revealed why he thinks “CODA” is resonating so strongly with hearing and non-hearing audiences.
“A lot of people feel connected to the story of ‘CODA’ because of the family experience,” Kotsur signed. “So when you see inside of the deaf world, you might be able to mirror the deaf experience to your own experience. The only difference is which language you communicate in. [It’s] the same way of thinking, the same struggles in life, the same humor, and it’s just a different language. Period.”
He added: “And that’s why we describe ASL like a foreign language. We’re foreigners, we just happen to be in America.”