Interview with Troy Kotsur “To My Father” film
Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter: Hello! Troy, welcome and I’m excited to have you with us today! Thank you for being willing to be interviewed about the film about you that was released last week: “To My Father.”
Full-screen image showing a film title, “To My Father.” CREDIT: YouTube / Dad Saves America
Renca: Firstly, how are you? How have you been doing?
Troy Kotsur: I’m fine, I’m doing great. I’m excited that the strike is finally over and I’m ready to get back to work. I’m also looking forward to Christmas time and it’s nice to have my daughter back with us. She has been at a university and I haven’t seen her for almost three or four months! It’s a new experience.
Renca: That’s typical.
Troy: Yeah!
Renca: So that film, “To My Father,” was released last Thursday. What are your feelings, how do you feel now that it is released to the public for us to watch. How do you feel about that?
Troy: I feel that it is very important for all parents who are raising children who have various and diverse needs, such as deaf, deafPlus, blind, cerebral palsy, in wheelchairs, or anything, to make sure they are involved in their lives. What is important is communication and giving the right direction for the future when they have to let go. That kind of thing, these experiences, is an important message for all parents.
Video clip from “To My Father” trailer. It shows Kotsur in an interview saying, “My dad didn’t see me as deaf, he saw me as capable.” There are several images of young Kotsur with his father. CREDIT: YouTube / Dad Saves America
Troy: One thing that I want to add here — when I got my Oscar, I mentioned that my father is my hero. That’s when Dad Saves America, which is the name of a nonprofit organization, reached out to do an interview and get the back story. That’s how the film was developed.
Video clip of Kotsur during his Oscars acceptance speech. He says, “Dad, I learned so much from you. I will always love you. You are my hero.” CREDIT: YouTube / Oscars
Renca: What do you hope for those who watch this film, what do you hope they will benefit from?
Troy: I feel that… I know I’m not the only one. I’m sure there are many people and families out there that have similar experiences but they feel that nobody understands them. I hope what I’ve shared will make them feel that they’re not the only ones. For them to feel that it’s important that we all support family. As I mentioned, it’s important for fathers to be involved with their children. No matter the situation. Love can give them the right future.
Even though my father was very busy as a police officer, he always took the time to learn sign language from me. I learned it from the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf. That’s where I got my first language. My father learned it and whenever my Deaf friends came over, he would watch our conversations. He was involved and paid attention. My father saw me as Deaf. He didn’t have hopes or tried to fix me to make me “hearing.” My father saw me as Deaf and therefore he knew he had to learn how to be involved in (my) life.
Renca: I’m curious if it was hard for your dad to find balance. Often parents have jobs and if they have deaf children, they find it hard to work and also learn sign language. So did your dad have a hard time with balancing or — how did he find the time to learn?
Troy: It’s interesting, when I was young, my father wanted me to be involved with sports. But he realized I was surrounded by hearing people and was alone. My dad had an idea to organize a soccer team. He realized many deaf kids lived long distances away so he figured out a central location in Phoenix. Deaf kids could come and meet there to play soccer. We all signed. My father observed us. Another benefit was that when their parents came, they realized they had shared experiences and it became a support system. My father benefited from it when I was at an early age. I look back and feel grateful that he made time. I see that many people out there are delaying things or hoping that someone else will fix things or whatever. No. Include yourself. Now I am looking back and will never forget him. So that’s why it is called, “To My Father.”
Renca: Yes. You’re right. There may be scheduling conflicts but you’ve got to make it work. Make it a part of your life. I get it.
Troy: Also, this is funny, my father observed a hearing coach trying to work with us. The year after, my father decided to become a baseball coach and he would sign. The hearing kids didn’t understand but I could understand. So I look back and realize that it was a good thing. He was involved in my life and didn’t care — and it ended up influencing others as some of my teammates could sign. You don’t realize the impact.
Renca: At the end of the film, it showed you struggling with working in an office cubicle. Then you got the message that you landed the role with “CODA.” Your life changed.
Video clip from “To My Father” trailer showing a reenactment of the above moment with real-life clips of Kotsur winning multiple acting awards. CREDIT: YouTube / Dad Saves America
Renca: What is your advice for some Deaf people who may also be struggling with their work or feeling down? How do they not lose hope? What’s your message?
Troy: For me, it’s been a long journey. I’ve always loved art and theater. Films and TV. It became limiting and it takes a lot of sacrifices. That’s where I was at that point, I changed my work and I felt pain inside. I felt like I failed. But I didn’t realize that it doesn’t matter what time. In any situation, something amazing can happen. But what is really important, I have no control, it’s God. I believe that God has a plan. It’s powerful and you never know when it will happen to you. It’s odd. Now for everyone who has goals… The best thing I can say is to not forget him. He will always take care of you and he has a plan. Growing up, I thought it didn’t make sense and I wanted things “now.” And after so many years, I got awards. So looking back, I realized that trust is important. It doesn’t matter the time. Enjoy each day and don’t forget that after today, it will become yesterday and history. You can’t go back. So enjoy today and what you can do.
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Renca: In the film, there were various scenes that showed old clips of you at your graduation. Other scenes showed you as a kid, playing. Various images and clips.
Video clip from “To My Father” trailer showing Kotsur giving a high school graduation speech. Other images and clips show a young and teenager Kotsur. Kotsur signs in his speech, “I plan to pursue my dream of working in the filmmaking industry.” CREDIT: YouTube / Dad Saves America
Renca: How did you find these old clips? And who held on to them and made it possible to be shared?
Troy: I was the one who kept them all this time. But for the graduation speech, my brother took the video with a VHS camera. After the speech, I brought it to show my father. He couldn’t show up to my graduation. That’s why we asked for permission to film it so my father could see it. And I kept the VHS tape in storage because you never know. I’m sure many of you wrote things when you were younger and then when you get older, you read it and look back. It’s the same thing with the VHS. I go back into my memories and I analyze my signing. I see that I signed in PSE and very English-y. I look at myself and wonder! It’s fun. I never thought that the production team from “Dad Saves America” would ask me if I had these things. I told them “yes” and went into my storage. I had to go through many things and collect them. They asked for pictures and I asked my brother for pictures of when were were kids. He sent copies and we had a collection that we could share. They edited and produced everything and you can see it all. I’m grateful that I didn’t throw them away. It’s precious. I can use these memories for a book that I’m writing. Or for a documentary. You just never know. I’m lucky that I didn’t throw them away. I’ve saved history and I’m so relieved. So my advice is to not throw your memories away!
Full-size image from “To My Father” showing Kotsur holding various images from his childhood. CREDIT: YouTube / Dad Saves America
Renca: Thank you so much. Do you have any final message for the Deaf community? Anything you want to share?
Troy: Whatever you do, just be grateful for what your parents did, the love they gave. They wanted the best future for whatever you are doing. I know it is challenging. That’s why I shared my story. I hope you know that you’re not alone. We all have similar experiences together. And enjoy your beautiful, daily lives with your children. Enjoy each moment as much as you can.
Renca: Thank you. I appreciate your time and I do wish you the best of luck with your future and I’m sure more things will happen with you. Also, thank you for sharing the story so we all can enjoy the film.
Troy: Thank you for watching. It’s still available on YouTube.
Renca: Thank you. Bye.
Watch the film, “To My Father,” on YouTube