Director Ryan Coogler Signs ASL All Night at Oscars

Chrissy Marshall wasn't watching the Oscars for fashion or trophies. The deaf filmmaker noticed something that brought her to tears: director Ryan Coogler signing "I love you" in American Sign Language throughout the March 15 ceremony.

Marshall shared her excitement on Instagram, posting clips of Coogler signing to friends and colleagues all night. "As a Deaf filmmaker, watching them normalize sign language like that… More please!" she signed in her emotional video.

The beautiful reason behind Coogler's fluency? His wife Zinzi is an ASL interpreter who studied communicative sciences and deaf studies at California State University, Fresno. Before co-founding Proximity Media with her husband, she worked as an interpreter at the nonprofit Deaf Counseling, Advocacy & Referral Agency.

ASL isn't just part of the Cooglers' personal life. It's woven into Ryan's films too. In 2015, he explained that the lead female character in "Creed" experiences hearing loss because his fiancée teaches ASL and brought him into that world. By "Creed 3," the franchise introduced a deaf character as Creed's daughter who uses sign language.

The National Association of the Deaf reports that media consistently underrepresents deaf and hard-of-hearing people. "There is no shortage of professional deaf and hard of hearing actors to fill these roles," their statement reads, calling for increased casting in all productions.

The Ripple Effect

Marshall's Instagram post sparked passionate responses from viewers celebrating the power of casual representation. "Inclusivity is not that hard and makes an incredibly huge impact," one commenter wrote.

Others advocated for broader change, suggesting sign language should be taught alongside English in schools. "Imagine if we could ALL communicate in silence as well!" one person shared.

Commenters revealed that Coogler regularly interprets for deaf and hard-of-hearing people without seeking attention for it. His advocacy extended to pushing HBO to create a Black American Sign Language interpreted version of "Sinners."

With "Creed 4" recently announced, fans anticipate Creed's deaf daughter becoming the main character in a film that champions the ASL community. That kind of mainstream representation could change everything for deaf filmmakers like Marshall watching from home.

Sometimes the most powerful moments at award shows happen between the speeches.