Being the first comes with enormous — and often unfair — responsibility that can lead to a sense of loneliness, a sentiment explored in director Shoshannah Stern’s candid new documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, in theaters Friday, June 20. The film serves as a stunning portrait of a life in the public eye and the ways in which illuminating our past can help us reevaluate our greatest moments.
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Marlee Matlin Opens Up About her Historic Oscars Win and New Documentary (11:08)
After scoring her first Oscar nomination at 21 years old, Matlin found herself thrust into the spotlight. Using interview footage from her press tour for 1986’s Children of a Lesser God, Stern’s documentary highlights the scrutiny Matlin faced as a young actress, with many in the media surmising she would only win by way of a “sympathy vote” and asking questions that today would be deemed inappropriate.
“To make a Deaf person like me have to explain over and over again how to work with interpreters, how to pay for interpreters, how to talk to me… I still have to do that to this day,” she continues. “Maybe I’m nice, but people should have to do their homework.”
Being asked questions like Marlee, what is it like to be deaf? and What would you do if you woke up one day and you could hear?, she says, is “tiresome.”
'We have to change the dynamic in the conversation [of] how we talk to Deaf people,' Matlin exclusively tells Parade.Michael Hull
The documentary, helmed by Stern in her directorial debut, takes a nonlinear approach to Matlin’s journey, anchored by a conversation between director and subject as the actress delicately untangles the story of her life. Their conversation is held entirely in ASL without an interpreter, and colored captions indicate who’s speaking.
Stern is Deaf as well, an aspect that was non-negotiable for Matlin when seeking a director. “They were ready to put in any director, which is fine, but it wouldn’t have been the same way as she told it,” Matlin explains. “That’s what we called the Deaf lens, and that is very powerful to me.”
Not Alone Anymore begins with Matlin’s Oscar win and continuously circles back to that pivotal moment, each time with fresh perspective. About halfway through, viewers are introduced to some of Matlin’s family, many of whom also discovered something new in the process. “I can say that my two older brothers who were in the film and my sister-in-law at first were like, ‘We’re learning a lot about things that we didn’t necessarily know about,’” Matlin says.
Matlin won her Academy Award for 'Children of a Lesser God' at age 21.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
She adds, “I’m not blaming the situation that I grew up in. Accessibility was not primary in everyone’s thoughts. … I don’t want to say that this is about blaming them, or the lack of communication and the fact that they didn’t sign. However, I had to be forced to learn how to read lips, to learn how to speak.”
While her experiences with addiction and relationship with Hurt are not the focal point of the film, Matlin felt that it was important territory to cover. “In all honesty, Deaf women in general do experience domestic violence. The situation is quite urgent for them, and they need help. As far as my drug abuse goes, I decided to become sober, as I indicated, and that’s the best gift I ever gave myself,” says Matlin, who tells Paradeshe’s been sober for 38 years.
Matlin does reveal in the documentary that when she first checked into the Betty Ford Center for treatment for her addiction, she had to pay out of pocket for an interpreter, as the rehab would not provide the service. “I needed rehab, I needed the interpreter. So what am I supposed to do? I did ask, ‘Can you help pay for the interpreters?’ And they said no. Again I asked, I think two or three or four times. I had to pay for my own access, which is ridiculous, but that’s [still] going on every day. We have to pay for our access. Why?”
'I learned so much about myself watching the film,' Matlin says of the documentary 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.'The film also looks toward the future, painting a vivid and moving portrait of an artist dedicated to her craft, even if roles for Deaf actors are scarce. “I am constantly thinking, wondering and a little bit concerned about the fact that there is a lack of work that I love to do,” Matlin admits. “Why does it have to be so difficult for me and other Deaf actors to find work? There are great and fabulous actors out there. Great writers, great directors, producers, hair, wardrobe, whomever wants to work in the entertainment industry. They are out there!”
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“It was the first time I really put my foot down to say I’d walk if you hired a hearing person,” she recalls. “As a Deaf person, I don't get work that easily, so to turn it down, I got to the point. … It would have ruined the look and the authenticity of the film if we had gone that direction. I can’t even imagine.”
'A hearing person could not have done justice to this film,' Matlin tells Parade of the Oscar-winning film 'CODA.'FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
As for what’s next for Matlin, the future looks particularly bright. Her oldest child, Sarah, 29, welcomed a baby girl named Brooklyn Rose last year — and Matlin is enjoying being a grandmother. “The next chapter for me is, first of all personally, watching my granddaughter grow up. She’s 14 months old, and she’s really a beautiful presence in my life,” Matlin says, smiling. “She gives me the opportunity to watch someone grow.”
And baby Brooklyn is watching her, too. “One thing I’ll do — I hope to follow through — is to just sign with the baby. Voice off, just signing,” Matlin reveals in her documentary, creating another special experience in a life filled with monumental milestones. “That’s the goal.”
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