Marlee Matlin: Another Maverick Turn, Directing for FOX’s ‘Accused’

In 1986, Marlee Matlin was the first deaf actor to ever win an Oscar (and also the youngest) for her performance in Randa Haines’ Children of a Lesser God. Since then, she continues to shatter glass ceilings. She is now making her directorial debut with Fox’s anthology series Accused fashioning an episode unlike any other that gives the viewer access into the world of a deaf protagonist. The work breaks the standard norms of storytelling to enable viewers to further understand the daily experiences of the deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Showrunner Howard Gordon (Homeland) created a collection of 15 timely crime stories/courtroom dramas with Accused, all told from the perspective of the defendant.

In the Matlin-helmed “Ava’s Story,” written by novelist Maile Meloy, Ava (Switched at Birth actor Stephanie Nogueras) is a surrogate mother who gives birth to a deaf child (completely unrelated to her being deaf) and discovers that the parents (Megan Boone, Aaron Ashmore) plan on making decisions for the infant that do not necessarily take her well-being into account. Suffice to say, she makes a bold move that lands her in court. Josh M. Castille and Daphne Rubin-Vega round out the exceptional ensemble.

Matlin is a newly elected member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors where she will continue the fight for deaf and under-represented artists.

Awards Daily had the pleasure of speaking with Marlee about Accused as well as last year’s surprise CODA Oscar victory.

Accused premieres on FOX January 22, 2023.