Hollywood’s deaf community upset that Will Smith stole limelight from ‘CODA’

nypost.com:

slap heard around the world. But for those in the deaf community, it had a silencing effect that they find to be heartbreaking and anger-inducing.The smack happened on the same night that “CODA” — about the hearing child of two deaf parents as she struggles to navigate helping out with her family business and pursuing her own musical dreams — made waves, snagging Best Picture and two other Academy Awards.

It was a seismic moment for the deaf community, as the movie also featured hearing-impaired actors including Troy Kotsur, who won Best Supporting Actor. “We have a great thing with this movie, and Will Smith’s slap superseded it,” said Bob Hiltermann, a deaf actor who’s appeared in movies such as “Children of a Lesser God” and TV shows including “Hawaii Five-O.”“I was looking at the news for information about ‘CODA’ and all I saw everywhere was the slap,” he said. “Will Smith apologized to the Academy but he should have apologized to ‘CODA’ for drawing away so much attention.

He stole the spotlight that should have been present on people who worked on ‘CODA.’”Jennifer Delora, who has worked as an actress, producer and technical advisor, has never allowed deafness to hold her back.

And she refuses to let Smith’s behavior spoil the moment. “Tears came out of my eyes when Troy won,” she told The Post. But the slap “took attention away from where it should have been,” Delora said. “I was disappointed … We have been working so hard to have fair representation in the movie business.