Troy Kotsurfeels “so blessed” to land his firstAcademy Awardnomination.
Although he has already taken home aBAFTA Award,SAG AwardandCritics Choice Awardfor his role inCODA, the 53-year-old actor is still beside himself at the Oscar recognition — in part because of some of the financial struggles he faced in the past.
“It’s most important for me to really have my family there because I’ve been through so much as an actor over the last 35 years, and I almost lost my family because of financial reasons and other problems,” Kotsur, who’s dad to 16-year-old daughterKyra, tells PEOPLE.
“I didn’t have any retirement or savings or a way to support my daughter through college, and so I was worried,” he admits. “And I’m so blessed to have been a nominee.”
“It really has saved my career, and I’m able to go to the next level,” Kotsur adds.
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RELATED VIDEO:CODAActor Troy Kotsur Reacts toSAG AwardsNomination
“I was able to say, ‘Finally, hearing people are able to feel and see and experience my silent experience,’ " he says. “I’ve had a lifetime of silence, throughout my life.”
“So that moment, it really strikes people, and they begin to understand that they take their hearing for granted,” Kotsur explains. “And with even 30 seconds of silence, they can start walking in our shoes.”
Troy Kotsur.
And now, Kotsur thinks that the “people out there who are recognizing my work are beautiful people.”
“And they have a big heart. And they’re able to see talent,” he tells PEOPLE. “They’re able to look at me not as a deaf person, butas an artist who happens to be deaf.”
“So I really appreciate this cultural shift and people willing to change their perspective,” he adds.
source: people.com
