Millicent Simmonds Highlights The Importance of A QUIET PLACE For the Deaf Community

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Millicent Simmonds plays the deaf daughter of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s characters in A Quiet Place. She is also deaf in real life. That is something you don’t see featured in movies much, unless it is needed as a story device or something. It is never just a fact. In an interview with NowThis, Simmonds highlighted the significance of it:

“I think it’s important in the deaf community to advocate for and be a representative for this story,” Simmonds said. “A story that might inspire directors and other screenwriters to include more deaf talent and be more creative in the way you use deaf talent. I think that could be a wonderful thing to see. Not only deaf actors, but other disabled actors as well.”

She’s right. It would be a wonderful thing to see. Showing people with disabilities as normal characters in a movie is something we need more of. Simmonds went on to say:

“What I hope is that I can show [my community] you can do anything. Not only become an actor, but a writer, a teacher, a pilot, anything you want to do is possible. Just work hard and people will recognize that. They will recognize your efforts.”

That is a great message to preach, and with the success of A Quiet Place,
more people will join her in her cause. Change doesn’t just need to happen within movies, but how we watch them as well. One Twitter user laid it out quite nicely:

Thoughts:#AQuietPlace made 50 mil.

Its speech is mostly conveyed via ASL & subtitles.

A lot of y'all saw the movie.

You were capable of watching it in a movie theater w/ subtitles.

So there shouldn't be a problem w/ having subtitled/captioned movies in theaters.

Right?

— Dr. J (@learnteachwin) April 9, 2018

I love this idea. Movie studios and theater chains are desperately trying to get people to go to the movies more, why wouldn’t you want to try to reach everyone you can? I generally watch things with subtitles at home. I am not deaf, but sometimes sentences flow fast, or there is someone with a difficult accent, and while I know what they are saying without them, I can see every word with subtitles and get the full meaning. It doesn’t mean every screening needs this, but they can mark which do and which don’t just like they do with 2D or 3D movies.

Millicent Simmonds is a great advocate for deaf people, and I hope this jump starts the conversation on inclusiveness for the deaf and hard of hearing again, where the movie industry can foster some positive change.

Would subtitles on films in theaters bother you?

H/T: ComicBook.com

About Post Author

Matt Vernier

Lifelong geek who is passionate about movies. I review things on my blog: https://www.GeekyRegards.com. Find me on Twitter! @MattV525 - Inquiries: Mavern519@gmail.com

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