By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
When she comes to the Sheraton Seattle Hotel on Feb. 6 for the Jewish Federation’s Connections brunch, well-known actor Marlee Matlin will speak not only about her sense of destiny, but she will also underscore how her Jewish values follow her every step of the way.
Although many might find the onset of deafness after contracting measles at the age of 18 months a cruel twist of fate, the 40-year-old Academy Award-winner has never backed down. She is a go-getter, a role model and a fearless advocate for those coming up after her.
“I never have let my deafness define me and I only view it as another facet of my being who I am,” said Matlin in an e-mail interview with JTNews from Los Angeles, the actor’s home base. She sums up her philosophy with her own wise words: “The ‘handicap’ of deafness does not lay in the ear…it lies in the mind.”
In addition to winning the Oscar for Best Actress in 1987 for her debut role in the movie Children of a Lesser God at the age of 21, the youngest recipient at the time, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association also awarded Matlin with a Golden Globe Award in 1986 for Best Actress in a Drama.
The Chicago-born Jewish actor has numerous television, stage and film credits. From Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook Off in 2003 on the Disney Channel, Where The Truth Lies, which premiered in 1999 on the Lifetime Channel, Freak City in 1998 on Showtime to Dead Silence on HBO, Matlin’s work runs the gamut between comedy and drama.
Her television credits are also extensive. “The West Wing” fans are used to seeing her in her recurring role as a White House advisor on the popular weekly television drama. Others might remember her appearances on “The Practice,” “Judging Amy,” “ER,” “Seinfeld,” “Law and Order” and numerous other programs.
“I haven’t received ‘special’ attention, just a different kind of attention,” said Matlin. “Deafness, or for that matter any divergence from the ‘norm’ in Hollywood, can be tough. Hollywood wants so desperately to please its audiences and they have a very distinct version of what is ‘normal.’ I don’t make it my cause and I don’t shout it from the rooftops, but I will never let my deafness stand in my way. (I’m) always looking up, always looking forward.”
Matlin has found success in every medium she has worked in. According to the actor, whose first role was playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at Chicago’s Center on Deafness in Northbrook, Ill. at the age of seven, she does not favor one over the other.
“Both are different, yet very much the same,” said Matlin. “Television is fast, movies are slow, but then sometimes we shoot independent films very quickly! Film allows for greater exploration of character but in television, I can get to know a character over a few years. Sometimes a TV guest spot can be frustrating because I never get to visit an interesting character again. The same can happen in film. They both are wonderful mediums and I am grateful to have worked in both extensively.”
Besides working steadily at her career, the more-than-busy actor also finds time to be the mother of four young children. She said it is her most satisfying role and that there is nothing better than being a parent.
“Television is better for me these days because most of it takes place in Los Angeles, where I can be close to my family,” said Matlin. “I’ve taken the kids sometimes and that can be lots of fun. But when they’re in school, I am loath to take them away. Movies often involve travel or locations, and that can be hard for a mother.”
Matlin’s most recent film, What the #$*! Do We Know? is a “new-age” science-meets-the-metaphysical kind of documentary that is currently enjoying a long and popular run in Seattle theatres. Matlin plays a young professional woman who becomes disillusioned with the seeming predominance of materialism and superficiality in her 21st-century lifestyle.
“The role and film were unconventional to start, and I figured that they would be more willing to consider the part with an actress who was deaf than some of the mainstream films that I attempt to go out for,” said Matlin when asked about the unusual material in the movie. “And the instincts of my producing partner and myself were right.”
Immersed in a script that plays more like a cross between a Quantum physics symposium and a Timothy Leary novel, Matlin’s character makes a bold decision to love herself for who she is, extra pounds, quirky personality and all.
“The producers were eager to meet and consider me, particularly because the film challenges the way we normally think of the world,” said Matlin. “Some have even said the deafness of my character in the film is a metaphor for the audience, who might perhaps have been deaf to the concepts expressed in the film. Who knows? All I know is that I had fun doing the film and the response has been phenomenal!”
In addition to her career in film and television and her role as a mother, Matlin is also the author of a children’s novel, Deaf Child Crossing, published by Simon and Schuster in 2002.
“I’ve always wanted to write a book relating my experiences growing up as a deaf child in Chicago,” said Matlin. “Contrary to what people might think, it wasn’t all about hearing aids and speech classes for me or frustrations that I felt growing up deaf. I grew up in the early ‘70s and it was very ‘Brady Bunch’ with our family, with a funny, Matlin twist.”
Matlin also volunteers for several nonprofit organizations, including the United Jewish Communities, where she has lent her image to the 2005 Community Campaign, The American Red Cross, The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Babies First and others. Her message is as inspiring as her accomplishments.
“Have faith and confidence in yourself,” said Matlin. “Be patient and never give up. Your world can change if you set your mind to it. Don’t let the bad habits or thoughts of others get in your way. Be strong enough to recognize them and move beyond them. It’s about following the heart that beats within you every day.”