Jill Biden's Meeting With The Cast Of CODA Will Give You All The Feels
Oscar season is long and unpredictable. There's no way of knowing who will take home the golden trophy until the envelopes are opened and the winners' names are announced. Even then, sometimes, there are mixups — certainly no one can forget the "La La Land"/"Moonlight" debacle of 2017. This year, "CODA" ended up the big winner at the Oscars, taking home the Academy Award for best supporting actor for Troy Kotsur, best adapted screenplay, and the biggest win of them all, best picture (via NPR).
"CODA" — which stands for Children of Deaf Adults — tells the story of Ruby Rossi, a young woman coming of age and struggling to prioritize her own wants and needs with the responsibility she feels to her family, as its only hearing member. "'CODA' does have a double meaning in the title because it's Children of Deaf Adults, but it's also the end of a piece of music," the film's writer and director, Siân Héder, explained on NPR's "Here and Now." "It's a story about the end of childhood."
Héder also spoke to Vanity Fair about how incredible it feels to see the film resonate with audiences, especially since it was filmed during the pandemic. "It feels amazing. We finished the film as the pandemic was hitting, so I had finished my edit but we were doing all of post during lockdown," Héder said. "It was an indie film, there was no distributor in place. [...] There was a sadness around, is this film ever going to be seen and find its way into the world?"
A visit to the White House
"CODA" not only tells a beautiful coming of age story, but it also puts deaf actors (and the deaf community) front and center. In an acknowledgment of the film and how important it is, the cast (Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Emilia Jones, and Daniel Durant) paid a visit to the White House (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Kotsur — who was declared the real winner of the Oscars — acknowledged the special trip to the White House in his speech for best supporting actor, saying, "It's really amazing that our film, 'CODA,' has reached out worldwide. It even reached all the way to the White House, and they invited the cast of 'CODA' to visit and have a tour of the White House" (via The Hill). "So, we met President Joe and Dr. Jill, and I was planning on teaching them some dirty sign language," Kotsur joked. "But Marlee Matlin told me to behave myself."
All jokes aside, the trip was a chance for advocacy as well. The cast even had the chance to meet with the White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Public Engagement. Recently, the White House shared a short, heartwarming look into how the trip went, posting a video to Dr. Biden's Instagram account. The caption on the video read, "To Marlee, Troy, Emilia, Daniel, and the entire cast of 'CODA' — the Rossi family will always live in our hearts. Thank you for an afternoon filled with so much."
Awards season might be over, but "CODA"'s impact will continue to live on.