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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Marlee Matlin
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Marlee Matlin always looked forward to Sundays. It was her father's only day off, so her family made a weekly tradition of meeting up with close friends for breakfast at a local deli. Afterward, she and her family of five would do a season-friendly activity — apple picking in the fall or a Chicago Cubs game during the summer, perhaps — before wrapping up with a finale event they called 'takeout Sundays.' 'Sundays were always my favorite day because I knew that we'd all be together,' says Matlin, who became the first deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987 at the tender age of 21. During our Zoom call, she communicated via an interpreter. Throughout her career, the 'Coda' star has been vocal about her battles with addiction and sexual abuse, but fans are getting an even more intimate look into her life via her latest project, 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,' which is showing in select theaters nationwide and will be available on demand on August 22. When she was approached to do a documentary, Matlin says it was a no-brainer for her to have her longtime friend and fellow deaf actor, Shoshannah Stern, direct it. 'What better way to have two deaf women who have similar shared life experiences to tell my story?' Matlin says. In the 1980s, she convinced lawmakers to add closed captioning to television programming. The veteran actor and activist has been a self proclaimed 'California girl' for nearly 40 years, but says that she will always be a 'Chicago girl at heart.' (The skyline of the neighborhood she grew up in, Morton Grove, is proudly tattooed on her forearm.) These days, she's enjoying empty-nester life with her husband Kevin Grandalski. Her ideal Sunday in L.A. involves visiting the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, getting her steps in at the Rose Bowl, having a slice of pizza in Eagle Rock and spending quality time with her 14-month-old granddaughter. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 6 a.m.: Take care of my pets If I had the choice, I would probably wake up at 8 a.m., but because I have a cat, it's 6 a.m. I also have a dog who needs to be taken out on a walk. Like a fool, he barks at every other dog that we encounter, and I have apologize to each dog owner. Then I have to have to have breakfast. I'm a breakfast person. I don't skip it. I love my oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar and blueberries. If I'm in the mood, I'll make some turkey bacon and make sure it's extra crispy, and I drink my Red Bull sugar free. I know I'm going to get a lot of flack because I drink a Red Bull in the morning, but that's what I drink. I like my drink, and it's as simple as that. I don't drink coffee. I wish I did, but I don't like the taste. After I've gotten breakfast out of the way, I have to make my bed. I can't even leave the house with an unmade bed. I have to make the bed immediately, and my husband knows that very well. 10 a.m.: Go shopping for new threads I might go to Rose Bowl either for the flea market, which is open once a month, or for a walk. Before I had foot surgery, I would always go and walk around the Rose Bowl at least twice for a total of six miles. I love power walking. Afterward, I would go to a couple of boutiques that I like. I'm a big supporter of small local businesses, so I would stop by Tuck in Pasadena and Everson Clare in La Cañada Flintridge. They are both female-owned, and they care about their customers a great deal. Both of them are very good friends of mine. They both work so hard to get their stores opened. I watched them from their inception to where they are today. They have different clothing styles that seem to fit me well. Then there are some stores that I'll go to in Studio City. You can find me at Sephora, Nordstrom or HomeGoods. 2 p.m.: Pick a favorite L.A. activity If we're in the mood to be active, we'll go to Descanso Gardens or to a Dodgers game. We recently went to Shot of Art, and it's so fun. It's similar to paintball. You create art on a canvas as it spins. I just got reelected as the governor of the Academy Museum, so I'll make sure to go there. Being governor and a member of the Academy, they have been nothing but so supportive of my community and many other underrepresented communities as well. Everyone who has a love for film or history [and] how films are made should go to the museum. Even if you [do] not, you'll be surprised. 4 p.m.: Quality time with my granddaughter Then I'll come back home to spend time with my granddaughter, who is 14 months old. We'll have playtime at the house. She's always exploring. She loves the cat. She runs after her, and I'm always the one having to run after the baby. So there's the three of us running around: cat, baby, then me. I'll take her to the park, which is down the street. Just being with her is the most important thing. We are just in awe of watching her grow, exploring the world and watching what she learns. That's the perfect Sunday for me. 6 p.m.: Enjoy an early dinner I love to cook on Sundays and have an early dinner. I have a whole raft of cookbooks and recipes that I've printed out. I'll just take that big stack and search through it. I'm not somebody who does a whole lot of research. I just pick one and then go for it. I love to barbecue, and I love to bake desserts. I have a sweet tooth. I set up a candy bar — like a bar for candy — in my house. It's dangerous to have a candy bar. Wait until my granddaughter grows old enough to realize what the candy bar is actually about. But if I don't feel like cooking, we might go to Casa Bianca. It's a pizza shop in Eagle Rock. The pizzas, the mozarella sticks and the salads are fantastic. The chicken piccata is great, and the people who own it are just wonderful people and so welcoming. 8 p.m.: Backgammon before bed I'll spend time with my husband after dinner, and we'll clean up. Then I'd check my phone to see what's coming up for the week. Depending on what's going on, I'll get in touch with the kids and play backgammon on my phone — just spend time winding the day down. And I'll take an evening walk. Before I close shop, I have to take the dog out once more. I go to bed early. I'm usually in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Toronto Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Marlee Matlin tells her story in an intimate and groundbreaking documentary
Published Jul 11, 2025 • 4 minute read Marlee Matlin, left, and director Shoshannah Stern pose for a portrait to promote "Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore" on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. Photo by Andy Kropa / Invision/AP When American Masters approached Marlee Matlin about doing a documentary, Matlin had one name in mind to direct: Shoshanna Stern. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Like Matlin, Stern is deaf. She also hadn't directed before. But Matlin, who herself became the first deaf person in the Directors Guild of America just a few years ago, was certain she was up to the task. The resulting film, 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' is an intimate look at her life: Growing up in a hearing family; winning the best actress Oscar at 21 for her first movie role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' which film critic Rex Reed at the time called a 'pity vote'; what she's described as an abusive romantic relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, which he denied; getting sober; and her experiences in an industry not equipped to accommodate deaf actors. It's also an evocative portal into the world of the deaf community that uses groundbreaking techniques and sound design to put American Sign Language (ASL) and visual communication first. The film opens in select Canadian theatres on July 25. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Matlin told much of her story in the memoir 'I'll Scream Later,' on some level it wasn't a completely satisfactory experience. Before the #MeToo movement, its revelations were not treated entirely seriously in the media. But a documentary also provided an opportunity. 'We communicate visually,' she said. Matlin and Stern spoke though translators to The Associated Press about the 'CODA' effect, making the doc on their terms, and why they hope Reed sees this film. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. AP: Shoshanna, what was your approach? STERN: I had never seen a deaf person direct an episode of TV or film. Never. I thought, what does that even look like? I didn't realize until I took the job that really the whole form of documentary as we know it is really rooted in sound, in the assumption that people will be speaking and they can speak. I thought, what are we going to do when we're using American Sign Language? I have to reframe a whole form of documentary. We have to be able to see what a visually-based documentary is going to look like. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We wouldn't do justice to Marlee's life if I had forced this form that really wasn't rooted in the way that she experienced this life. And that was exciting to do. Scary for some people out there, but I never felt scared in making this documentary because she believed in me. This image released by Sundance Institute shows documentary subject Marlee Matlin in a scene from 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.' THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MATLIN: If I had had a hearing director approach me to do this project, we could have done a very good job, but that person would not have seen me in the same way. They would not have the same lens as a deaf person. AP: What were some techniques you used to spotlight the deaf experience? STERN: I did want to film with captions in mind, so I made sure that we did have a wider frame. We figured out visual voiceover with a split screen that we added. We did this little surgery with words and syllables in one of the scenes where we mixed them all around to be able to bring people into how Marlee experiences conversations and the world. We wanted to make this documentary an immersive experience for the audience members, a sensory experience to help them understand. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. AP: 'CODA' felt like a big moment, but in the years since it won the Oscar, have you seen things change? MATLIN: 'CODA' certainly was a milestone and respected by so many people in the industry. It tackled a lot of things that both deaf and hearing people or audiences can identify with. I love the fact that they burnt in the captions. That you can't just turn it off. And I hoped that all the love we received and the three Academy Awards that we got would make a difference. It was honored on so many other levels too as well, whether we're talking about (director) Sian (Heder) or you're talking about Troy (Kotsur) or the SAG award which was just a dream come true, specifically of mine. I took that opportunity to specifically address that that we 'exist,' that we want to be actors just like you, we want to be directors, we want be producers, we want to be hair and wardrobe stylists. We want to work in all levels of production. So 'CODA' really elevated that conversation about how much we wanted to be part of the industry. But for some reason it didn't really break open the door as wide as I would have thought. Yet we just don't give up. We are persistent. Because it is what it is. We are working on our own levels to make changes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. STERN: Marlee said something really brave when we were at Sundance. She said, 'It won't last.' The moment, yes, in the moment. But I don't know if we have movement. MATLIN: There's so many stories that we can tell, so many stories that you can put up on screen, so many stories that we can put on stage. I'd like to see action because I've been hearing that, 'Yes, we have to do this' or 'I will do this,' but it's been 40 years. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I just want to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is. I go back to that comment about Rex Reed. I wonder if he would ever see this film. I'd love to see if he has the balls to make a comment and say, 'Oh look, I realize I might have said something wrong.' That's just one example of the things I'd like to see happen. And maybe the people who interviewed me over the years. I don't want you to misunderstand me, I have a great deal of respect for them. But specifically, I am calling out Rex Reed. So, you know, sorry but not sorry. (Reed did not immediately return a request for comment.)
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Marlee Matlin thought 'CODA' would be a gamechanger for deaf actors. What happened?
For Marlee Matlin, winning an Academy Award should've been one of the happiest days of her life. At just 21, Matlin took home the best actress Oscar for 1986's 'Children of a Lesser God,' becoming the youngest person ever to win in that category and the first deaf actor to earn the gold statue. But as she reveals in new documentary 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' (now in theaters), the triumphant moment was actually fraught with anxiety. She accepted the prize from then-boyfriend William Hurt, whom she later accused of physical and sexual abuse. Matlin worried he'd feel threatened by her sudden success, and first-time director Shoshannah Stern slows down the footage to show how the newcomer appears reluctant and fearful walking onstage. 'I've been waiting for so many years for the truth to come out about that moment,' Matlin tells USA TODAY through a sign language interpreter. 'When I saw it on the screen, it was shocking to me. If I had talked about it without doing this documentary so people could see me, I don't think anybody would've believed me.' 'CODA' made Oscar history: Here's what its win means for the Deaf community. 'Not Alone Anymore' chronicles Matlin's career highs and personal lows, including struggles with substance abuse as a young woman. And although she is revered as a trailblazing activist now, she once stirred intense controversy in the Deaf community after choosing to both speak and sign while presenting at the 1988 Oscars. 'She fights not just for herself, but for the people around her,' says Stern, who is also deaf. 'I would never have had the opportunity to direct if she hadn't pushed for me so hard. Every time I see a picture of us together when we've been out promoting the film, I get goosebumps. There's just something about seeing two deaf women together in the face of what society has done to pit us against each other, to send the message there is only room for one of us.' Matlin, 59, opens up about family, Hurt and whether Hollywood has changed since the 2022 Oscar best picture winner "CODA." Question: Was there a particular moment when you realized that you didn't need to be a spokesperson for the entire Deaf community; that you were free to grow and learn and make mistakes? Marlee Matlin: Probably after the backlash for speaking at the Oscars. That's when I realized it was time to just step away from the public discussion and let the heat of the moment die down. Meanwhile, I focused on my career and having a family, until one day I had a conversation with a friend of mine, John Maucere. He asked why he hadn't seen me at Deaf events and I said, 'Why?' Because I was terrified of the community. I didn't want to approach them because they decided to define me in a certain way. I didn't get any real explanation as to what I did, because they didn't give me the opportunity to explain myself. He was the one who convinced me to try to engage with them once again. It was probably around the time I did (2011-17 ABC Family comedy) 'Switched at Birth,' and it was a slow process. I cut myself off and then I brought myself back. I just needed to know how to solve the impasse. Did any unexpected emotions come up for you after William Hurt's death in 2022? I found out about William Hurt's death by myself. I was alone in the back of a car on the way to one of the various award ceremonies for 'CODA.' I was aware that he was ill but I didn't realize that he was close to death – I just happened to look at my Twitter feed at the time. I felt such sadness and very mixed emotions, knowing that a lot of questions would never be answered. But in all honesty, the first person I thought of when I read the news was his son, Alex Hurt, whom I've stayed in touch with. I texted him right away with my deepest apologies because he lost his father. Then I got to the red carpet, and the mood was … I don't know how to put it. I was in shock. You credit Larry David ("Seinfeld"), Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing") and David E. Kelley ("The Practice") for creating characters specifically for you. Have other writers and producers been less accommodating? If there were more people like them, I'd probably be getting more work. And not only me, but other deaf actors, too. I've been around for almost 40 years, and all the work I've done has been great, don't get me wrong. But every day, I have to hustle as if I'm somehow reinventing myself every time. They say, 'Well, hearing actors have the same problem.' And I say, 'Eh, not necessarily.' I can't go into any audition for any character that interests me. It's almost like they have to create these special circumstances for me to be in a movie. But I'm not going anywhere, by any means. I will continue to do what I love, as simple as that. There was such a groundswell of excitement around "CODA" and this new era of Deaf representation onscreen. Do you feel like that moment didn't last? Or why has progress been so slow? 'CODA' was a phenomenon unto itself, and I'm very grateful for all the attention it got. I'm still stopped every day on the street by people who say, 'I love 'CODA'' or 'I love you on 'Seinfeld'' or 'I love you on 'The West Wing.'' But it seems like my career comes in fits and starts. There's some work, but in terms of deaf actors carrying a movie or a TV show, they're still way behind when it comes to that. I haven't worked since 'CODA' as an actor. I've gotten to experience directing on 'Accused,' which (was) on Fox. But that's all I've done since 2021. There are so many stories I could be in, and I'm tired of having to keep talking about that. I want to be able to just talk about developing a new character and being on a set with my fellow actors. Why do I have to keep talking about the hardships for me as a person, who happens to be deaf, to get work? It's ridiculous in 2025. In the documentary, you say that you wish to sign with your baby granddaughter rather than speak. Why is that? Unfortunately, I didn't sign with my kids as I would've wanted to. I didn't know how that would look when they became adults and could communicate with each other. I didn't know that you should start signing right away and not use your voice, so they would have to become skilled at sign language during language development. So when my granddaughter was born, I thought, 'I'm going to fix that.' (It's about her) understanding my identity, more than anything else. You also discuss the guilt your parents felt after you lost your hearing at 18 months old. What do you wish you could say to them now? I would say to them that it's not their fault that they didn't sign fluently; that it's not their fault I became deaf. And that I'm OK.
Los Angeles Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' chronicles the actor's personal battle for dignity
Marlee Matlin has a word tattooed on each of her wrists. On the left is 'perseverance,' on the right is 'warrior.' 'After 37 years, I'm still hustling,' she says by way of explanation in 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.' Referring to the ink on her left wrist, she adds, 'I look at this all the time. Every day.' 'Not Alone Anymore' is hardly the first celebrity documentary to salute its subject's tenacity. But if the contours of this story are familiar — the rise, the fall, then the rise again of an Oscar winner — director Shoshannah Stern's affectionate portrait is all the richer for the layers it reveals about both Matlin and the larger struggles of the Deaf community she embodies. The 59-year-old actor's legacy may indeed be one of perseverance, but 'Not Alone Anymore' touchingly details just how much more challenging her battles with addiction and sexual abuse have been than those of other famous people. The film's inventiveness starts with its opening frames, in which closed captioning describes the sounds that accompany the production companies' logos: '[low humming],' '[dramatic, echoey flutters].' These descriptions occur throughout the documentary, as do subtitles for every talking head, including the Deaf participants. Obviously, these creative decisions allow Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers to more easily experience 'Not Alone Anymore.' But it's also a subtle acknowledgement of Matlin's trailblazing work in the late 1980s, when she used her newfound fame to convince lawmakers to require televisions to include closed captioning — a groundbreaking development for a community who had been deprived of a fuller engagement with the media they were watching. This wasn't the only way in which Matlin has left her mark. In 'Not Alone Anymore,' she breezily recounts how, at 19, she was plucked from relative obscurity to star in her first film, the 1986 adaptation of 'Children of a Lesser God,' based on Mark Medoff's acclaimed play, about a love affair between Sarah, a Deaf janitor, and James, a hearing teacher. Matlin won the Oscar, becoming the first Deaf actor to do so. (Nearly 40 years later, she remains the youngest lead actress recipient.) At the time, her victory was hailed not just as a coronation of a promising talent but also a triumph for the Deaf, who too often feel marginalized and underestimated. But, as the documentary reveals, real progress would prove trickier to achieve. Matlin and Stern, who is also a Deaf actor, have been friends for decades, and their interviews are mostly conducted sitting together on a couch, the conversations exuding the cozy intimacy of old chums chatting. Making her directorial debut, Stern deftly draws out her subject. Audiences will learn about Matlin's past history of drug abuse and her fraught romantic relationship with her 'Lesser God' costar William Hurt, whom she has accused of sexual and physical abuse. (Hurt died in 2022.) But 'Not Alone Anymore' gently probes the unique difficulties Matlin's deafness created as she navigated those traumas. When she went to rehab, the facility was ill-equipped to treat a Deaf patient. And during a poignant discussion about Matlin's sexual abuse, she explains growing up with no understanding of the phrase 'domestic violence.' 'Deaf people only have their eyes to rely on for information,' she tells Stern. It's an illuminating illustration of the dangers of what the Deaf community refers to as language deprivation. Despite her Oscar win, Matlin would repeatedly have to advocate for herself in an industry seemingly uninterested in Deaf characters. Stern uses 2021's best-picture-winning 'CODA,' which costarred Matlin, as a happy ending of sorts for her film, without denying the ongoing movement for greater Deaf visibility. But if 'Not Alone Anymore' can sometimes lean too heavily on uplifting sentiment, Matlin's story possesses a bittersweet aftertaste. As evidenced by Matlin's years of striking, engaging performances, she is a winning presence in the documentary — funny, charming and open — even while we sense the lingering wounds from a difficult upbringing exacerbated by sexual abuse she endured in childhood. Beyond being a spokesperson for the Deaf, Matlin has also emerged as a voice for survivors, even when the world wasn't receptive to what she had to say. 'Not Alone Anymore' notes, with pointed irony, that Matlin published her candid memoir 'I'll Scream Later' in 2009, years before #MeToo, so her accusations against Hurt didn't carry the same weight in the media as the ones that would later stop powerful predators such as Harvey Weinstein. It was hardly the first time Matlin waited for society to catch up with her. When she first arrived in Hollywood, she couldn't have possibly imagined how much of a warrior spirit she would need. 'Not Alone Anymore' honors a woman who learned how to fight.
San Francisco Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' is Bay Area filmmaker's love letter to a groundbreaking actress
Marlee Matlin, the only deaf actress to win an Academy Award and still the youngest to win best actress, has a small tattoo on each wrist. One spells out 'perseverance,' the other 'warrior.' 'I'm still hustling after 37 years,' she signs with a mixture of pride and resignation as she sits in a makeup chair in the new documentary ' Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.' The film, directed by Fremont-raised Shoshannah Stern, also a deaf actress, is extraordinary not so much in its content — most of the salacious stuff, such as her abusive relationship with actor William Hurt, had been revealed in Matlin's 2009 memoir — but in its form. Through some impressive technical planning and execution, Stern and her team make each scene understandable to both deaf and hearing people through split screens and subtitles, and yet it's not cumbersome. The documentary is, in fact, fast moving and absorbing. Matlin, of course, was an unknown Chicago stage actress, still in her teens, when she was cast opposite Hurt in the 1986 film version of Mark Medoff's Broadway play 'Children of a Lesser God,' about the difficult romance between a deaf janitor and a hearing speech teacher. The film ignited debate, was a box office hit and nominated for several Oscars, with Matlin winning best actress over Jane Fonda, Sigourney Weaver, Sissy Spacek and Kathleen Turner. Overnight, she became the most visible deaf person on the planet, and with that came sudden responsibility to, as we say today, represent. She became actively involved in a movement to appoint a deaf president to lead Gallaudet University, a hearing impaired institution (an event profiled in the recent Apple TV+ documentary 'Deaf President Now!'). Matlin also led efforts to enact federal legislation mandating closed captioning on all televisions, significantly advancing accessibility for the deaf community. Matlin's motivation for the latter stemmed from her favorite movie as a young girl, the movie she credits for making her want to be an actress: 'The Wizard of Oz.' She watched the 1939 classic whenever it was on TV, and one can only imagine how, to a child who could not hear, what a bizarre dreamscape it is, like a children's film made by Fellini. The biggest celebrities who sit for Stern's camera are writer-producer Aaron Sorkin, who created a recurring role for her on his White House drama 'The West Wing,' and actor Henry Winkler, her best friend in Hollywood. How Matlin and Winkler met is truly a delightful story, and it happened when she was a teenager, way before she went to Hollywood. The cast of 'Happy Days' was to play in a celebrity softball game before a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Matlin loved the Fonz, Winkler's signature character on the show, because he fell for a deaf woman (played by Linda Bove, a deaf actress who was a regular on 'Sesame Street') in a memorable episode. She wrote a fan letter to Winkler and invited him to a performance by her deaf children's theater troupe, and he brought the 'Happy Days' cast with him. After the messy break-up with Hurt, Winkler and his wife Stacey provided a safe haven. There are painful moments in 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,' and there are triumphs. But mostly, it is a film of grace and acceptance — a necessary portrait of a groundbreaking artist.
