has the more likely that is to change. actress marlee matlin, the first deaf performer to win an 0scarfor1986's children of a lesser god, could potentially score a best actress nomination for her role in coda as the mother who struggles to connect with her child. she is considered on the fringe of the oscar race at the moment, but troy kotsur, who plays the father, is considered a safer bet to be nominated for best actor and maybe even win. kotsur has worked steadily in film and tv for the last two decades, but coda is his biggest role yet and deaf and disability activists are rooting hard for his success. i think if troy kotsur were nominated and then went on to win, i think it would be a really remarkable turning point for the deaf community in terms of their representation in media. i absolutely think this movie destigmatises deafness, i think it does wonders for disability representation in general. there are previous films and tv shows that have featured deaf actors or deaf cast members, but i think the difference here is that to some extent, the film doesn't necessarily have deafness as