Award Shows February 27, 2022
‘CODA’ Star Marlee Matlin Talks Watching Her Kids Grow Up
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“Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers and Special Correspondent Adam Glassman spoke with “CODA” star Marlee Matlin at the 2022 SAG Awards, where she wore a custom Lafayette 148 gown and Jimmy Choo shoes.
As for how long she’s been working with her sign language interpreter, Marlee joked, “Longer than I’ve been married to my husband, who’s right behind me… 35-36 years… I’ve lost count.”
“CODA” is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, going up against “Belfast,” “Don’t Look Up,” “House of Gucci,” and “King Richard.”
When Jenn expressed her love for “CODA,” Marlee explained why it’s so relatable, saying, “There’s a lot of heart in the film. It operates on so many different levels — there’s music, there’s family, there’s a hard-working fishing family… there’s a CODA in there, child of deaf adult people… you didn’t know what CODAs were until this movie came out, so it’s for everyone. People will recognize some part of their family in this movie throughout the journey of the film.”
Matlin relates to the movie, saying. “I’m a mom of four and I know full well my kids as they’ve grown up that they’ve had their dreams… It’s interesting to watch kids, what it is they want to choose, what path they wanted to go on, how they want to deal with everything in their lives, the choices that they make, so I get it and I chased my dreams.”
Praising Henry Winkler as someone who told her to never give up on her dreams, she added, “I was 12 years old and I’ve been doing that ever since then.”
When Marlee was 12, she approached Henry after a talent show, telling him that she wanted to be an actor. Years after she won an Oscar at age 21 for her movie debut in “Children of a Lesser God,” she would live with the Winklers.
Marlee also expressed her excitement about “CODA” being nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. She said, “I’ve been going to the Oscars on a yearly basis and because of the pandemic... we had to sit there with masks and we had all this special seating, but I think we’re being a little more flexible now.”
