Troy Kotsur says accessibility to Hollywood improved after the success of Coda

Oscar-winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur said he has seen improvements in accessibility in Hollywood following the success of 2021’s Coda.

The 55-year-old actor, who presented an award at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards broadcast live on Netflix, praised the streaming giant for making the show accessible to everyone.

“They have access this year in terms of closed captioning and audio description on Netflix, so I’m thrilled, and we’re really looking forward to that,” he said before the ceremony.

Kotsur was a member of the cast of the film Coda, which revolves around a family of deaf fishermen, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2022, while he received the Best Supporting Actor award.

“Overall, I’ve already seen some improvements and some doors starting to open,” he said.

“Some people have told me there’s a big production coming out with a deaf director and deaf producers and actors and I’m seeing Hollywood starting to open up and I’m seeing more and more projects coming in and so really I’ve seen a lot of change.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and progress takes time, and we all have to work together and understand how to work together. There is nothing about us, without us.”

Kotsur appeared on stage with American actress Greta Lee, both of whom performed sign language to present the award for Best Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series.

It comes a year after the Bafta Film Awards were criticized for their lack of diversity, following a translation error while Kotsur was presenting the award in sign language on stage.

A misunderstanding led to Carey Mulligan incorrectly announcing that she had won the Supporting Actress award for her performance in She Said, before the broadcaster quickly corrected themselves and confirmed Kerry Condon as the winner for The Banshees Of Inisherin.