“The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening speaks during 2019 Comic-Con International on July 20, 2019, in San Diego, California. Credit: Getty Images
“The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening speaks during 2019 Comic-Con International on July 20, 2019, in San Diego, California. Credit: Getty Images
“The Simpsons” has featured a Deaf actor for the first time in its 33-season history with its newest episode, a story which focuses on Lisa Simpson, who discovers that her favorite musician, the late saxophonist Bleeding Gums Murphy, has a Deaf son.
The Deaf character is voiced by John Autry II, who told Variety that the historic moment is “incredible.”
“It’s life-changing equality and participation. This can impact change for all of us. It’s about hard of hearing and hearing characters coming together. It’s a part of history,” Autry II said.
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This is also the first time that the animated show has included American Sign Language (ASL) in an episode. ASL specialists reviewed early versions of the episode’s visuals to make sure the four-fingered signing would still be intelligible to the audience.
Loni Steele Sosthand, a writer for the show, told Variety, “That was a little tricky, especially because the one thing we’re translating is Shakespeare … But I think we pulled it off.”
The new episode’s storyline is also loosely based on Sosthand’s life.
“[…] When I think about music, I also think about my brother, who was born deaf. When we were talking about this Bleeding Gums character in our initial brainstorms, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if Lisa discovers this whole other side of his life?’ That led to him having a son, and then we based that character at least somewhat on my brother. And the story grew from there,” Sosthand said.
Last month, Troy Kotsur received a standing ovation in signed clapping at the 94th Academy Awards after he became the first-ever Deaf male actor to win an Oscar for his work in the film “CODA.”
During his acceptance speech, Kotsur said, “I really want to thank all of the wonderful deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor.”
“Sian Heder, you are the best communicator,” Kotsur said, offering the film’s director a personal thank you, adding, “And the reason why is you brought the deaf world and the hearing world together, and you are our bridge.”
Last week, Kotsur took to Twitter to share his excitement over the Deaf character included on “The Simpsons,” writing, “How cool!!!”
Source: https://nowthisnews.com/news/the-simpsons-features-a-deaf-actor-and-american-sign-language