[會長] In The Here And Now With Marlee Matlin

看板the_L_word (拉子/女女/泛同志影音)作者Architect (A talented idiot)時間18年前 (2008/02/15 02:55)推噓6(6推 0噓 4→)

留言10則, 8人參與討論串1/1

轉錄自 Lesbian News 雜誌 1 月號 DO NOT BOX HER IN Willing to Listen In The Here And Now With Marlee Matlin By John Esther Pardon the first-person introduction but it always makes me cringe when people refer to Marlee Matlin as "that deaf actress." Cartesian categoriza- -tions are too common, misguided and deficient and, as far as I can tell, result in failure upon scrutiny or lead to much worse situations. Labels like "deaf", "lesbian", "Jew" or "Indian" are simplistic ways to order people into certain sectors. At best this is a waste of time. At worst it makes it much easier for powerful entities to oppress smaller groups. Let us not forget, along with the millions of Jews, gays and people with physical and/or mental impairments were labelled and exterminated throughout Europe during WW II. That she lost her hearing when she was 18 months old and was raised Jewish ( or that one of her brothers is gay ) says less about Matlin than the facts that she wanted to act since she was a child, at 21 she was the youngest win- -ner ever for the Oscar in the Best Actress category, has been married to a law enforcement officer since 1993, and is the mother of four children. Unlike her loss of hearing to a bout of Roseola Infantum or a religion she was born into, Matlin's career, marriage and children stem from choices she made throughout her life. The youngest child and only daughter of three, Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois on August 24, 1965 to Libby and Donald Matlin. She grew up in and around Chicago, where she performed from the age of 7 - her first role was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Through her adolescent and young adult years, Matlin continued acting. She studied criminal justice at Harper College in Palatine, Ill. ( Architect 曰: 好酷的科系! ) After garnering rave reviews in a production of Mark Medoff's Children of a Lesser God, Matlin landed the role of Sarah Norman in the film adaptation. It was her film debut and she won the Oscar. Since then Matlin has accumulated dozens of credits in television and film . A recurring regular on Law and Order and The West Wing, Matlin's most allur- -ing television role to date has been on Showtime's The L Word, where Matlin plays Jodi ( the particular spelling of the name is Matlin's tribute to a deceased friend who was a mother and a lesbian ). An art school artist-in- -residence with a thing for the school's matriarch, Bette Porter ( Jennifer Beals ), Jodi's appearance in 14 episodes has added another dimension in one of the world's best known TV shows. ( Even if it is not the most watched show, millions of people know The L Word exists. ) Off screen, in addition to raising children between the age of 3-11 with her husband Kevin Grandalski ( they married in Henry "he Fonz" Winkler's back- -yard ), the 5 foot 4 inch Matlin champions many AIDS organizations while maintaining a prominent role regarding hearing issues in the public sector. Matlin has also authored and published three books. Currently working on season five of The L Word ( airing this month ), we caught up with Matlin to see what she has to say. Q: What do you have in common with your character, Jodi, on The L Word? A: Other than the fact that we're both deaf, not much. She's much more fiery and independent than I am in real life. she's more of a loner than I am and , though Bette has forced her to re-evaluate who she is, I'm more light- -hearted than Jodi. But both of us are passionate, both of us love our work and both of us have very definite ideas about what we want in our lives; we just approach things very differently. Q: If Jodi could fall in love with somebody else, who would you like to see play that role opposite you? A: I would love to see Deanne Bray, who played Jodi's ex lover on the show, play that role opposite Jodi. It would be great to explore a deaf/deaf les- -bian relationship. There are so many layers we could delve into and that would blow the audience's mind. Q: In what ways do shows like The L Word affect social change? A: The L Word as entertainment helps to bring issues facing the LGBT community into the mainstream. By portraying positive images of lesbian and gay men and women as well as bisexual and transgendered individuals, it shows that merely who we love has no bearing on how we should be allowed to live. Q: In what ways do discriminatory practices against the LGBT community reflect or resist those practices against the hearing impaired? A: The discriminatory practices against the LGBT community parallel almost exactly those against deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Misunder- -standing, stereotyping, and discrimination - all of these things which have happened to the LGBT community, deaf LGBT individuals face mis- -understanding and stereotyping by members of the general LGBT community. It's just a matter of communating with each other that can end the dis- -crimination and misunderstanding. Q: Among all your television and film roles, which one do you identify with the most? A: In terms of personality, I find that I identify most with my character of Joey Lucas from The West Wing. Both of us are considered firebrands and groundbreakers in our respective fields and both of us don't suffer fools gladly. We both know a lot about our jobs and are pretty good at it. We also both have a mischievous aide to ourselves and like being in the presence of powerful people. Q: If you could perform any character in any story, what would you choose? A: I would love to play the bad person as I did in the movie, Where The Truth Lies. In that film I was a murderer hiding behind the character of the angelic deaf person. It was the great way to play the bad buy and I would love to do that again. Q: If you could meet any person - dead or alive - whom would you choose and why? A: I've always wanted to meet stage and film actress, Colleen Dewhurst, but unfortunately she passed away before I could meet her. I admired the acting choices she made, particularly on stage and, though I'm deaf, her booming voice was something I could feel from whatever she was performing in. She was not a woman who expressed even an inch of fear, no matter what she was doing on stage or on film. No wonder she was able to handle being married to the equally strong George C. Scott! Q: Looking back, what did winning the Oscar for Children of a Lesser God mean for you personally and professionally? A: Professionally, it gave me the opportunity to stick my foot in many doors, many that were in no way ready to open for a deaf actress. It validated my career up to that point and it forced many in Hollywood to think of actors with different abilities in a new way. Personally, it validated everything that my parents taught me growing up, which was I could do whatever I wanted to do if I just followed my heart. Q: What do you think is your greatest accomplishment hitherto? A: Personally: my four children and meeting my spouse. Professionally: the Academy Award for my first film. Q: I see you work with for many social causes. Why do you pick the ones you do? A: I like to pick charities that primarily benefit children; organizations like the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. I can't ignore a child in need. Q: What is your biggest goal for the future? A: A healthy and happy life for my husband and four kids. And another season of The L Word! Ha! Q: If you were not an actor, what job would you like to be performing? A: I'd probably be a teacher. Q: What was your favorite film of 2007 ? A: The french film, La Vie En Rose ( 玫瑰人生 ). A brilliantly written and acted film! Q: What was your favorite moment(s) of 2007 ? A: Stepping onto The L Word set for a second season, knowing there were more chances to explore who Jodi is. Also, seeing a woman ( Hillary Clinton ) and an African American man ( Barack Obama ) being potentially the next Democratic nominees for president! Q: What do you think this year is going to look like for you and the country? A: I try to be upbeat.I know my family will be well but I can't say the same for others in my industry, particularly with the writer's strike entering its second month. I worry about thousands of below-the-line individuals - hair, makeup, camera, construction - who are out of work as a result. It's a symptom of a larger problem, I believe: the loss of individual achievement in the name of corporate advancement. 2008 will be a pivotal year also as I believe the American public will be forced to be preoccupied with upcoming presidential election in November at the expense of ending the war in Iraq, pressing social problems and fixing the economy. I know it sounds bleak, but I think the American public will feel overwhelmed, and giving, as a cha- -ritable activity, will lessen. I hope not, I just wish that the country could focus on volunteering and we could bring back Americorps just as we had back in the Clinton administration. It just seems that more and more each day everyone is focused on "me," rather than the notion of "us" and "community." And yet, I'm so excited about the fact we have for the first time a woman and an African Amreican as potential presidential candidates. What an exciting opportunity and example that sets for our children. Q: What do you think about interviews where you talk about yourself and your work. Do they serve the work? Should the work just speak for itself? A: Having the chance to speak about my work can help audience understand and gain a better perspective about the acting choices I make. If I left the work to speak for itself without having an opportunity to explain, then people might be forced to create fiction out of fact. I'd rather it be me who's giving them the plain talk on what I'm doing. I have no problem with doing interviews. I love what I do and don't mind sharing that with anyone willing to listen. -- Hmmm.....問題有點沒創意. :P BTW, 這篇文章是我一個字一個字慢慢打的. 會長的責任. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.166.44.232 ※ 編輯: Architect 來自: 218.166.44.232 (02/15 03:17)