Valentines Day sees the launch on the Sundance Now Channel of an exciting groundbreaking new TV series that is uniquely different. It is the creation of Josh Feldman a queer actor, writer, and producer from Los Angeles. He also happens to be deaf.
Fed up with the lack of roles for deaf actors he wrote this new series This Close that follows two deaf friends as they navigate through their late 20s and early 30s. Feldman created the dramedy with his BFF Shoshannah Stern, who is also deaf, and the project is unique for a number of reasons, most notably because it will be the first TV show created by and starring deaf people, who are usually portrayed on-screen by non-deaf actors.
Feldman plays Michael, a young gay man going through a turbulent time in his personal life and his best friend Kate (Stern), who is trying to navigate choppy waters as the sole deaf person at her PR firm.
He told OUT Magazine “During my twenties, the periods of biggest personal growth happened after breakups. And that includes bad decisions. I wanted him to make those because eventually, they lead to growth but not for a while.”
He continued, “Our goal was to make sure that the biggest moments in the show were done in sign language because in our lives, our biggest moments are in sign language.”
The Close also stars Oscar winner deaf actress Marlee Matlin and Cheryl Hines,
Labels: 2018, culture, deaf and queer, TV series
