Hollywood representation isn't enough. Canada needs roles for deaf actors too, says actor
In the last decade, Ryan Duchoeny has worn many hats - firefighter, police of‐ ficer, construction worker and even convict. Such is the life of a background ac‐ tor.
But his real dream is to land a lead speaking role in a movie or TV show.
For the deaf actor, who al‐ so works at an Ottawa Costco, that means finding a role with lines he can sign in American Sign Language (ASL) on screen.
With the increasing visibil‐ ity of deaf actors in Holly‐ wood, Duchoeny is hopeful he'll achieve that goal soon, but says the Canadian film industry needs to catch up.
"In the States they have many opportunities for deaf individuals who are actors, but we don't have that here," he told CBC with the help of ASL interpreter Janice McLaren.
The actor says he feels some optimism when he thinks of such recent films as CODA and shows like Echo, which feature deaf stars like like Troy Kotsur front and centre.
"They inspire me, and all over the world any deaf indi‐ vidual, because we see our‐ selves out there and we know that they've gone through a lot of barriers to get to where they've gotten," said Duchoeny, who got the chance to meet Kotsur last summer.
"We want to make sure that we can break down those barriers [in Canada] as well."
Breaking down barriers
Duchoeny has a cochlear im‐ plant that helps him under‐ stand verbal cues and occa‐ sionally communicate verbal‐ ly.
He says for him, there are a number of barriers to land‐ ing more prominent roles in‐ cluding a lack of education around deafness and alter‐ nate means of communica‐ tion among casts and crews on set.
"Often, hearing people feel apprehensive because they feel that we can't do cer‐ tain things or have limita‐ tions," he explained. "They focus on deafness and they don't look at solutions."
Duchoeny suggests hiring interpreters, texting back and forth to communicate, and making sure an ASL coach is available to help actors with speaking roles.
The actor says he's worked with crews in Ottawa long enough for most of them to understand and ac‐ commodate his needs, but that's not something he takes for granted.
He still sometimes runs into issues when it comes to auditioning for roles in other cities - which he does both in person and over Zoom in Montreal, Toronto and in B.C. - and he recalls times he wished he had an ASL inter‐ preter available to allow him to better express himself.
"ASL is my first language," Duchoeny said. "It's an ac‐ commodation that should be provided."
He adds that in instances like that, especially when he's at a callback without an inter‐ preter, he might stay anyway if it's a role he really wants.
But "if it's a very heavy, in‐ tense [audition], then some‐ times I just have to walk away."
It's something Duchoeny's talent agent, Lisa Meuser of The Meus talent agency, has been advocating for, arguing for the importance of ensur‐ ing deaf actors can commu‐ nicate with their industry peers and directors both dur‐ ing auditions and on set.
"As much as they can lipread, it's really important for them to be heard," she said, explaining why on-set ASL in‐ terpreters matter.
Meuser says though more work needs to be done, she's encouraged to see a growing number of roles for deaf ac‐ tors in the last three years.
Change should start in the writers' room, union says
Chris Cornish sure.
ACTRA's Ottawa branch representative says though the union has no direct role in casting, it does have talent databases available to indus‐ try professionals to help them hire and work with ac‐ tors from different communi‐ ties, as well as guides to im‐ prove accessibility. Those in‐ clude a tipsheet on audition‐ ing deaf actors.
The overall goal is to pro‐ mote diverse performers.
While he says there's been a lot of progress in hir‐ ing more Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ actors in recent years, Cornish says he hasn't seen the same growth in op‐ portunities for actors with disabilities.
According to Cornish, change needs to start in the writers' room.
"I think one of the biggest challenges … is getting more roles written and more roles developed for deaf per‐ formers, and for performers of all abilities," he said. isn't so
1Department, one of Ot‐ tawa's largest production companies - and through which Duchoeny has found several background roles says highlighting these types of storylines makes sense if the industry wants to truth‐ fully portray life in this coun‐ try.
While the company pri‐ marily focuses on movies of the week and holiday flicks written for American TV net‐ works such as Hallmark, Life‐ time and the Oprah Winfrey Network, CEO Shane Bouch‐ er says it's also looking to de‐ velop its own scripts and projects with inclusivity at the forefront from the beginning.
Boucher explains that to meet Canadian broadcasting requirements for Canadian content, most production companies in Canada hire their cast and crews locally, but the stories themselves are written for an American audience.
He says that's why despite a growing number of scripts that feature deaf and dis‐ abled characters, the roles are usually created with spe‐ cific American actors in mind.
To him, it's just another reason why it matters to tell fully Canadian stories.
"I do think if we put a little bit more focus on some actu‐ al Canadian storylines and … use that kind of opportunity to also showcase people with different abilities in Canadian society," he said.
"That's a way in which productions in Canada can take advantage of that need [for Canadian content]."
Despite the slow progress, Duchoeny isn't giving up. Re‐ flecting on his meeting with Kotsur, he says he felt reaf‐ firmed in his decision to pur‐ sue acting - and hopes he can similarly inspire others like him.
"I want them to know that they can pursue their dreams," he said.