This was part of the controversy surrounding the Stephen King adaptation, The Stand, a 2020 Paramount+ series that cast hearing actor Henry Zaga as the deaf character, Nick Andros.

A Quiet Place Part II, CODA, and Marvel’s Eternalstake a significant step towards deaf representation in movies.Īn important issue that these films strive to address is the lack of representation from not only deaf characters on screen but also the opportunity for deaf actors to portray them. Even Paul Raci - who grew up as the child of deaf adults (CODA) - anticipated the criticism, telling IndieWire, “I hear people saying, why is this hearing guy playing a Deaf role? And my role, too! So Riz and I are gonna get some flak.” But the films of 2021 seem to have learned from this criticism, as more recent films have worked to include more deaf actors in lead roles.

Still, some viewers critiqued the film’s lack of deaf actors in lead roles. RELATED: 'Eternals' Star Lauren Ridloff Addresses Inaccessibility Issues for the Deaf Community: 'We're an Afterthought in Movie Theaters' Following a rock drummer’s ( Riz Ahmed) journey through hearing loss, The Sound of Metal showcases a supporting cast of deaf actors alongside Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Paul Raci.

While The Sound of Metal was widely released in theaters and on Amazon Prime Video at the end of 2020, much of its success and notoriety carried over into 2021 during the awards circuit, culminating in the film’s Oscar nominations, and Oscar wins in Best Editing and Best Sound. While much of the discussion surrounding movies in 2021 seems to be dictated by the topic of the pandemic - such as whether or not movie theaters can bounce back, and whether or not the movie theater experience will be preserved alongside the continuing rise of streaming platforms - there is still a positive trend that this year’s movies demonstrate, specifically for deaf representation.

Deaf actress