Since winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for CODA in 2022, becoming the first Deaf male actor to take home the coveted trophy, Troy Kotsur has been working hard to continue to make a name for himself in Hollywood, while representing his sometimes overlooked Deaf community.
On Sunday night, Kotsur, 55, was front-and-center as a guest star on Larry David’s final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. On the latest HBO episode, Kotsur plays himself, as he hilariously interacts with an awkward David on a golf course.
So, how exactly did the opportunity come about for the Oscar winner to bring his own comedic chops to the two-time Emmy-winning series?
With the assistance of his translator Justin Maurer, Kotsur shared with me in American Sign Language (ASL), “Well, I must say, I’m so grateful to be an Oscar award winner because more folks have a Deaf role in mind. There’s so many celebrities that they’ve had on Curb through the years and all these different situations that arise, and I’m so honored to be one of these folks, playing a cameo as myself and working with that crazy, mischievous guy. Of course, it’s unscripted. You just show up, you basically know about the situation and then it’s all improv from there, so it was a really cool experience.”
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He went on to credit his former acting institutions, Deaf West Theatre and the National Theatre of the Deaf, for preparing him to take on this improv role. As for his storyline in the new Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, Kotsur went on to joke about his extra acting during the golfing scenes.
“In real-life, I am a golfer and I love golfing, but I had to play like I was an awkward first-time golfer taking lessons. I had to make mistakes and really hit the ball without a lot of talent. It was almost offensive because that’s not me. I’m a pretty good golfer, but I had to follow the story.”
Kotsur added about his latest acting job on the HBO comedy series, “It’s an honor to represent the Deaf community and show that we have a sense of humor. We’re all capable of being funny and there’s different types of humor, of course. From my experience in real-life, I always figure out a way to tease hearing people, even without my voice - and so, it was a similar situation on Curb.”
Beyond Curb and since his Oscar win two years ago, Kotsur has been striving to keep busy and create more opportunities for himself. Last year, Kotsur was invited to sign the U.S. National Anthem at Super Bowl LVII alongside singer Chris Stapleton. He recently premiered a short documentary called To My Father, which is based on the true story of Kotsur’s relationship with his father, sharing that the project has received “several awards in this festival season and it’s now up on YouTube, if you want to check it out.”
The actor also recently shot an independent film titled In Cold Light, which he says is currently in post-production, with the project looking to premiere around the Cannes Film Festival. He even has another episodic TV series that he is filming but cannot share what that project is quite yet.
So, since his Oscar win, would Kotsur say that he has noticed better and more consistent opportunities within entertainment for himself and his Deaf community?
“I have noticed some improvements - for example, there’s a show Echo on Disney+, where they have an authentically Deaf star [Alaqua Cox] of the show. I’m seeing more and more Deaf roles beginning to pop up. I know that there’s a new project coming soon that my longtime friend [Jevon Whetter] is directing - it’s called Flash Before the Bang. I think Hollywood is starting to open its mind and see how they can engage and work with Deaf folks - there’s Deaf writers, Deaf producers and Deaf directors, so we can work together with these hearing filmmakers and share our cultures and share our languages. I think it’s a big step forward. It doesn’t happen overnight - of course, it takes time. It’s a process but there is a lot of potential in this time.”
With the Oscars season upon us once again, I had to ask Kotsur - where exactly does he keep his Oscar statue today?
Kotsur said, “It’s on the second floor [of my home] upstairs. It’s on a shelf and it’s dancing and having a party with all of the other awards, including the SAG award, the BAFTA and all the others. The Oscar is right in the middle with a large group of friends, so he doesn’t feel lonely. And of course, my dog is protecting it. So, if I’m not home, my dog is going to attack anyone, if they try to mess with it.”
Kotsur added, “Looking at [my Oscar] is really hard to believe that it actually happened, and I feel like it’s historic. It’s a part of history and I am really proud. You know, in my lifetime, I never saw any Deaf Oscar award winners, besides Marlee Matlin and myself, so it’s really unique. It’s really special.”
As he continues to move forward in his career, Kotsur has noticed a positive change within himself, following all of the recognition and acting roles that he has achieved in recent years. “I feel very confident after winning these awards and I think a lot of people have accepted who I am - and I’m okay, I’m fine, I’m not broken. I just simply happen to be Deaf and I communicate in multiple languages - American Sign Language and English. I have the opportunity to share my experiences with everyone out there. Before then, I felt like a bit of a failure, and afterwards, I felt like, ‘You know what? I’ll be okay. I’m seeing big changes and there are some more opportunities opening up for me.’”
The Oscar winner concluded our conversation by sharing some supportive advice for his community of Deaf actors who, like him, are striving to be given the chance to prove their unique value within the entertainment industry today.
Kotsur said, “Well, in general, it’s really important just to build your resume. Keep working, no matter what happens, whether it’s a small role, a big role - whether you’re acting on a theater stage or in film or TV. I think it’s really important to build your recognition. The more people that know you, the more people want to work with you. As long as you have a good attitude and you’re fun to work with, you’re prepared and you’re on-time, then you know people will know that you’re reliable and they’ll want to work with you again and again - and so, they’ll remember you.”
