My disability is a gift from God, says Troy Kotsur

"I would like to meet actress Yoon Yuh-jung. I want to learn about acting in-depth from here," said actor Troy Kotsur, the winner of the best supporting actor in the movie 'Coda' at the Oscar Awards this year.

The 54-year-old American actor visited Korea on Tuesday to attend the ceremony for the 2030 World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf as he has been appointed the promotional ambassador for the federation. The actor replied that he would like to meet Yoon in response to questions on whom he wanted to meet in Korea.

At the Oscar Awards ceremony in March, Yoon was the presenter for the best supporting actor. Before calling out Kotsur's name, she used sign language to say "Congratulations. We love you,” drawing attention to her thoughtful gesture. "I was very grateful that Yoon held the trophy for me, allowing me to express my feelings comfortably," said Kotsur.

Kotsur became the second deaf person to win an Oscar. "After winning the Oscar, I received many requests to act in movies, so I've become pretty busy. To me, winning an Academy Award is like acquiring a PhD after hard work. In Hollywood, non-deaf actors acting for deaf roles are becoming increasingly rare,” he said. “I wish the same for Korea.”

While promoting the World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf as ambassador, he is interested as an educator for the deaf in Korea. He expressed plans for various interests, such as promoting the importance of sign language preservation. The American actor said that he wished to produce a movie of the history of the Korean Association for the Deaf and participate as an actor.

"I believe my disability is a gift from God, which helped me succeed as an actor," said Kotsur. “I want to encourage those with disabilities who want to be an actor not to give up their passion and dreams.”


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com