Paul Raci, nominated for an Oscar for playing a drug abuse counselor who has lost his hearing in Sound of Metal, said the most common response he receives from deaf people about the film is ‘how cool you show a bunch of deaf addicts.’ “That sounds a little strange,” Raci said in an interview, “but they’re just happy that you’re showing them in a light that makes them normal, like you and I. They have the same struggles.”
Advocates hope that praise for Sound of Metal, one of the best picture contenders at Sunday’s Academy Awards and other films will lead to more movies featuring people with disabilities. Hollywood’s under-representation of women, Black people and others has faced scrutiny in recent years. Movie studios and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that awards the Oscars, have taken steps to increase their presence in front of and behind the camera.
