Sign language at 2021 Oscars: Paul Raci praised for signing on red carpet and Marlee Matlin presents

'Sound of Metal' star Paul Raci, the son of two deaf parents, simultaneously signed his words during his red carpet interviews

Paul Raci arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool)
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The 93rd Academy Awards has been praised for its inclusive use of American Sign Language (ASL) during the ceremony.

Actress and deaf activist Marlee Matlin was one of the presenters on the night.

She presented the awards for Best Documentary Feature, which went to My Octopus Teacher, and Best Documentary Short, handed to Colette, in sign language.

Actress Marlee Matlin presents documentary awards in sign language

Actress Marlee Matlin presents documentary awards in sign language

The inclusion of Matlin as a presenter was hailed on Twitter.

"There’s lots of brown, black, Asian and non-English speaking people presenting and winning awards. Is it too early in the evening to be saying this," wrote Twitter user Sonia Smallacombe, "then Marlee Matlin presents in sign language. I’m blown away with the diversity of the Oscars."

However, the Academy was criticised for cutting away from Matlin to show the category nominees, while her interpreter's voice was heard over the footage.

"Having Marlee Matlin present an award, then cut away from her entirely while she's speaking so you just hear the interpreter's voice is ... a choice," one user wrote on Twitter.

Pippa Ehrlich, left, and James Reed, right pose in the press room with the award for best documentary feature for "My Octopus Teacher" with Marlee Matlin, center, at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool)
Pippa Ehrlich, left, and James Reed, right, pose in the press room with the award for best documentary feature for 'My Octopus Teacher' with Marlee Matlin. AP

A second said: "Doesn’t make sense at all that, while Marlee Matlin presents an award in #ASL, they cut away from her entirely while she's speaking! Totally missing the point."

Matlin famously starred in The West Wing as Joey Lucas, and is also known for her roles in The L Word and for voicing Stella on Family Guy.

'Sound of Metal's influence? 

One of the biggest films of the night was Sound of Metal, which tells the story of Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who loses his hearing. The film took home two awards.

When presenting during the ceremony, Riz Ahmed said he had the "pleasure" of learning ASL to take on the role of Ruben.

However, it was his co-star Paul Raci, who was showered with praise for "undramatically" signing on the red carpet during an interview with E! News.

Raci is son of two deaf parents. While speaking to Giuliana Rancic ahead of the awards show, along with wife Liz Hanley Raci, he simultaneously signed his words.

Speaking of the ways that the film got its interpretation of a deaf experience "right", Raci said: "Darius Marder was working on it for 14 years, he vetted it with deaf people all across the country ... [he had] three deaf advisers on the set. That's how he did it right."

His use of ASL on the red carpet was praised by Twitter users.

Tellingly, Google Trends tweeted: "Last year, Americans were searching for 'American sign language' more than ever before. This year, Paul Raci, a Coda (child of deaf adults), was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Sound of Metal."