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Mike, the "why not Keith Wann" question, I think the response is that because Wann is a CODA; therefore, acceptance with perhaps a sprinkling of reluctance. But anyone else, then heaven forbid, no, which I can relate to and support.
Is it any more acceptable for the Coda to start a business teaching companies about deaf culture? Isn't it just one more hearing person taking a job away from a deaf person? I personally have no problem with hearing people taking the roll of a deaf person. It's called ACTING!!! If you can get your head around playing the role of a serial killer (even if you're very non-violent), what's the big deal about playing a deaf person? Doesn't bother me a bit.
Lena is right, it's acting. Though it does bug me when they hire people to play the role of a deaf character and do poor justice to it. They often fall victim due to the bad acting.
For instance, if the deaf character happen to be a signer, that person should at least be an experienced signer or take classes for it.
It's the same with some American actors trying to do British accents. Remember Kevin Costner as Robin Hood? He's known for having one of the worst British accents ever. Some Americans can nail any accents, but many cannot.
That's why I criticized Bionic Woman's pre-air pilot. The deaf character was a signer, but the actress was pretty awful at signing, you couldn't really understand what she was saying 90% of the time. Actually, now that I think about it... nearly nothing she signed was understandable. But the public will never get to see it unless they put it onto the DVD.
I'm a movie buff, and bad acting is something I really cringe at. Keep in mind that I am not talking about deaf characters who are oralists. Truth is, it's easier to pull that one off because you would have to alter your voice and change your talking pattern depending on how good the person's speech skill is. ASL itself is a language, so one would have to dedicate a large amount of time to learn a language for a role in a play or a movie.
Keith Wann is a well-known CODA. It would come naturally to him as he grew up around deaf people. If the hearing actors are able to convince the deaf audience that they are deaf, then they have achieved good acting.
That's quite a rarity though.
Well, I'll have to say that I'd prefer to have a deaf/hoh person to take Keith's place in order to promote the "real" deaf world.
It's nice to know that the two deaf actors in Bob's house to portray the two big role-players in the TV.
I remembered that there was an oriental girl who signed in the Kellogg's flaky cereal on the TV commercial years ago? I do not know whether or not she was deaf. And also the alleve or alvel (spell?) medicine (pain relief) on the TV commecial, too. It was about the muscle thing....
*runs super fast in slow-motion*
BwwwwwWWW wwWWWwwWwwWwwwWWwWwwWwWWW
Personally, I think anyone who can act should act, regardless of race, age, creed, sexuality, nationality, and disability.
*jumps over a cruising airline at 29,000 feet*
BwWWWwWwWWwwWwwW wwwwwWWWWwwWwwwwwwWwWw
I have a question: what if the Bionic Woman and the Six-Million Dollar Man were to "get to fixin'" all night long ..
Hmmm ...
:o)
Paoite
Keith Wann is a CODA, so he knows it may be like a Deaf person. Really, perhaps you should do a little research, before tossing Wann's name out in open as your supporting evidence.
But having said that, it matters little me if a hearing actor or actress play a deaf character. Really, it depends upon what the script calls for on a deaf character. If that deaf character is a culturally Deaf person, then it makes much more sense to have a real culturally Deaf person to play that role, as to make it more realistic and believable. Wouldn't you agree?
Personally, I think it's a non-issue, but it's your blog, so you can do anything with it as you see fit...
Paotie-- Go fine Jodi. It's time.
I have mixed feelings about this. It always kinda bothers me when a white person pretends to be an "indian" You know they aren't. Sometimes an American can pull off a Scottish accent. Then you read reviews in the BBC that the accent sucked, so it makes me wonder. Maybe I'm being too much of a purist. If I were the director I would want the part to look more authentic, so I think I would want a Deaf actor. However, I recently saw The Lookout where Jeff Daniels played a blind guy and I thought he did a great job. But then again, blind people don't have their own language, so it was just a matter of making his eyes look unfocused and rolling them up into his head for a few takes. I did wonder how blind people felt about that stereotype of the eyes going off in weird directions. I would have preferred him wearing dark glasses. But maybe that wouldn't have been right either. I have never lived with a blind person.
Keith Wann is comfortable on stage as a performer and is part of Deaf culture as a CODA, so I should think he would be a natural as a Deaf actor. My personal opinion is it should be OK for him to play as Deaf person, but there are probably other Deaf actors who could work out equally well, and I do wonder if the director gave them a fair shot or just sent them packing for fear of not being able to communicate with them.
Did those ads say Keith was playing a Deaf role? I don't think I saw that. Maybe he is just supposed to be a CODA having a conversation with a Deaf buddy? Maybe he's an interpreter discussing the game with a Deaf buddy?
Amy, that could be however the whole subject and topic are about Deaf people who use sign language to communicate with one another....not about CODAs. Certainly nobody not familiar with Deaf culture would even suspect or think that Wann is a hearing person. Did the film make clear of that?
Acting means to perform a fictional role in a play or movie. I am sure hearing actors have a huge challenge trying to act in a way it does not offend deaf people. Often they get nasty response for that role. Look at it in another perspective, a seeing individual playing a role as a blind person, "normal" person playing a role as a person in a wheelchair, a white person playing a role as black man, etc. It's all about acting. Maybe they could have utilized better resources.
I just saw two people having a conversation. It never dawned on me that he was supposed to be a Deaf man. It never claimed they were both Deaf, and you are right it didn't say he was hearing either.
I guess that is for the viewers to decide for themselves. However, you are insinuating that Deaf folks have a double standard. If this was CLEARLY supposed to be a Deaf role, I could agree. I just don't think that was the intention in this case.
"Malcolm X"...black actor. Can it be a white actor? Nope...same as for Deaf
Mike... When I was a kid and went to the Saturday matinees, we always saw caucasian people playing Native Americans. They always lost the fights and the Lone Ranger rode away happy on his horse, "Silver."
Remember Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie? Did a darn good job of looking like a female soap opera star, but the audience already KNEW it was a man -- just the actors didn't know Tootsie was a man.
You sign ASL fluently, right? When you meet a hearing ASL student who wants to sign with you, you know in 5 seconds that person is hearing... Deaf people in the audience KNOW when a hearing person is ACTING Deaf! Maybe a person can "act" deaf by wildly flinging their arms in the air, making a mockery of ASL. That's terribly offensive when Deaf people watch, knowing there are perfectly capable Deaf actors who could show due RESPECT to the language, and probably act better too!
Remember, Deaf people have been "acting" all their lives, being forced to survive in a hearing world!
Good topic to discuss
You gotta watch
http://fookembug.wordpress.com/2...ople-take-over/
Paotie, I'll let you know when I meet a six-million dollar man 
Sorry, but Keith Wann does NOT know what it's like to be a deaf person. He isn't deaf!! He knows what it's like to have deaf parents, but that is not the same as knowing what it's like to be deaf.
Abbie-- I was planning to fix you up with my son, but he is a poor student with no money right now-- as all his money is going toward another college degree. Did you enjoy the HLAA Con? Learn anything new?
Lean-- I don't believe you have to know what it's like to be Deaf to play the part of a Deaf person. You don't need to know what it's like to get murdered or tortured to play the part of someone being tortured either. And you don't have to be in the Mafia to play the part of a mobster. That's what Hollywood is all about. People ACT.
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