Troy Kotsur says accessibility in Hollywood has improved after Coda success

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

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

“They have accessibility this year regarding closed captioning and audio description on Netflix so I am thrilled, we’re really looking forward to it,” he said, ahead of the ceremony.

Kotsur was part of the cast of Coda about a family of deaf fishermen, which won the best picture Oscar in 2022, while he was named best supporting actor.

“In general, I have really seen some improvements and some doors beginning to open,” he said.

“Some folks have told me that there is a big production coming up with a deaf director, deaf producers and deaf actors and I’m seeing Hollywood begin to open their doors and I’m seeing more and more projects come in, and so really I have seen a lot of change.

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

Kotsur appeared on stage with US actress Greta Lee, both performing sign language to present the award for best male actor in a TV movie or limited series.

It comes a year after the Bafta film awards were criticised for a lack of diversity, following a translation error while Kotsur was presenting an award by sign language on-stage.

A miscommunication saw Carey Mulligan incorrectly announced as the winner of the supporting actress award for her performance in She Said, before the announcer quickly corrected themselves and confirmed Kerry Condon was the winner for The Banshees Of Inisherin.