It’s been more than a week since actor Troy Kotsur made history by being the first deaf man to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting, and he hopes that his accomplishment will help his community.

“I’m sure that all the folks in the deaf community all over are very excited that a deaf person has been nominated. Because awareness has been increased of them. And it can increase the hope for deaf kids out there, that there are more possibilities, and that their dreams can come true,” Kotsur tells says enthusiastically through a sign-language translator.

He continues, “I’m surprised myself. When folks used to say, ‘follow your dreams’, I didn’t really believe in that until it actually happened to me. So, I hope they (the community) feel inspired. And, of course, to be recognised as an artist, has meant a lot to me. I’m just an actor who happens to be deaf. And that’s truly a blessing”

Troy Kotsur ‘Extremely Thrilled’ to be First Deaf Male Oscar Nominee

After being nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar on Tuesday, actor Troy Kotsur is receiving additional plaudits for his role in the film CODA. Kotsur joins Marlee Matlin as the only deaf performers to be nominated for an Academy Award.

The 53-year-old actor plays Frank Rossi, a deaf fisherman who enlists the help of his hearing daughter, Ruby, to help him with his business. When Ruby decides to go to college to study music, Frank and the rest of their family are confronted with the prospect of losing their hearing ability.

Kotsur, who has appeared in films such as “Wild Prairie Rose” and “The Mandalorian,” is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ first deaf actor to be nominated for an acting award.

“So proud of my co-star/friend!” Matlin stated on Twitter after the candidates were revealed. In 1986, Matlin received an Academy Award for Children of a Lesser God.

In an interview with Deadline, Kotsur expressed his delight at his nomination, as well as the film’s Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations.

“I feel like it’s wonderful to be able to share this experience with the deaf community and with the hearing community,” Kotsur said through an ASL translator. “It’s so exciting and such a blessing.”

Kotsur’s Oscar nomination is only the most recent accolade he has received. He got the Gotham Independent Film Award for finest supporting performance in the fall of 2021. He was also just nominated for a British Academy Film Award for best supporting actor (BAFTAs). As shown in this tweet by CODA director Sian Heder, the announcement led him to fall out of his chair in delight.

“AHHH! Heder tweeted, “Troy Kotsur’s reaction to his #BAFTA nomination this morning is hilarious. Thank you to his wife ⁦@DeanneBray for capturing gold. I can’t stop watching.”

“It’s really important to show hearing people what it’s like as a fly on the wall and immerse themselves in deaf culture,” Kotsur told ABC News. “And really, we had the right team, the right story, the right cast and crew and it just hit it at the right moment.”

The film landed a distribution contract with Apple last year after a successful screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

The acronym CODA stands for Child of Deaf Adults. While this may be a rough outline of the narrative, it fails to account for the nuance and emotional depth that has drew spectators in.