Interview: Marlee Matlin
"I'd love to do the story of Octomom!"
by Tammy La Gorce
May 5, 2009
One of the things we learned from reading an excerpt of your book is that you and Henry Winkler are thick as thieves — you and your husband even got married in his backyard. Did the Fonz take you under his wing back in the '70s? How did you become so
close?
Henry is the kind of guy who us Jews call a "mensch." That means someone who'll walk you across the street if you need it, who will rescue a cat or dog that needs a home; someone who'll reach out and give a kind word or lend a hand when you
least expect it. He was the one who encouraged me when I was twelve years old to follow my heart when others thought that I might have been dreaming too big, dreaming too fast. We met when he was at the height of his fame, and the fact that he took time out of
his busy schedule to always see me when I visited California, the fact that he was always there with advice, told me that I could look to him as a mentor. He and his wife have reached out to many people as mentors, not only me. Maybe it's because he recognized
in me the same sort of struggles he went through with his own barriers that dyslexia posed for him growing up. And I saw in him a light and a positive energy that was so wonderful to follow. There isn't a nicer guy than Henry Winkler. I am forever indebted
to him and his family.
Your first performance was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at age seven, in a children's theater production near your hometown of Morton Grove, Illinois. Are any of your four kids — Sarah Rose; Brandon Joseph, eight; Tyler Daniel, six; and Isabelle Jane,
five — interested in acting? Would you encourage them if they were?
My daughter Sarah is interested in dance and hip-hop and if she were interested in acting, my husband and I would encourage her to take acting classes at school, join the drama club, etc. But we wouldn't want our daughter to be a professional
actor at this age. The pressures would be too much, we think. Even I wasn't acting on a professional level until after I graduated high school. We'd like our children to do that as well.
You've played a lip-reader on Seinfeld, a gay deaf sculptor on
The L Word, and a public defender on My Name is Earl in addition to some roles, like the one you played on Desperate Housewives, as a mother. It seems you've avoided the trap of being typecast as a mom, even though you are very much
a mom. Are you glad?
"I don't live my life as Marlee, Deaf Woman!"I've never avoided it. I've just not been asked. I did play a mother on CSI: New York but she was nineteen! I'd love to play the mother of young kids as I do in real life! Maybe I can do the story of the Octomom! Hahaha!
Another thing that makes your ability to play roles outside the mom zone amazing is your full-on embrace of mom-type projects. Not only did you star in three Baby Einstein videos (both designed to introduce sign language as a form of
non-verbal communication), you also had a recurring role on Blue's Clues. Did you do
Blue's Clues because one of your kids was obsessed?
I wanted to share with kids the idea that sign language was fun just as it was for me growing up, and that you don't have to be deaf to enjoy it. Both
Blues Clues and Baby Einstein approached me, and I was glad to do them. I also appeared on
Sesame Street. Anything that teaches kids the fun of sign language, I'm on board for!
Are any of your kids hearing impaired? Do they all know and use sign language regularly? During family dinners at home, do you sign across the table?
Our children are hearing and they don't sign fluently, but they are familiar with signs. That's because Mom speaks and reads lips a great deal! We sign at the table and in public places, particularly when we don't want people to know what we're
saying. It's a great way to communicate in noisy environments or quiet places too!
Would you say your own kids have better than average self-esteem as a result of being the offspring of a hearing-impaired mother who's accomplished so much?
They have good self-esteem because my husband and I make sure of it, and it has nothing to do with my being deaf. Again, I don't go out of my way to remind them that Mom is deaf and I don't live my life as Marlee, Deaf Woman! It's only a part
of who I am. Strong self-esteem in children grows from just good parenting, deaf or not.
Where can we see you next? Book signings? A movie? More reality TV?
I am developing a half-hour comedy for the Showtime network with writer-producer Carol Leifer of
Seinfeld fame — she wrote my Emmy-nominated episode of Seinfeld called "The Lip Reader." It's going to be a hoot!
I'll Scream Later is available on Amazon.
©2009 Tammy La Gorce and Babble Media
About the Author
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Tammy La Gorce is a freelance entertainment writer living in New Jersey with her son and daughter. Her work regularly appears in The New York Times, GRAMMY and other magazines. |
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