Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: Alaqua Cox, Echo, graham greene, Marvel Studios, Tantoo Cardinal, vincent d'onofrio

Echo Star Alaqua Cox on Representation, ASL and Acting Challenges

Echo star Alaqua Cox on her journey to series lead as a novice, what she learned on Hawkeye, deaf & Indigeneous representation & more.

Alaqua Cox was provided a unique opportunity when she was offered to star in the Marvel Studios' Echo, not only a chance to front a superhero TV series that operates as a spinoff of Hawkeye but also to provide a major voice in the Indigenous and deaf communities, both underrepresented in Hollywood as Maya Lopez. Marvel partnered with the Choctaw Nation to provide an authentic experience for the viewer as Maya rediscovers her Indigenous roots in her Oklahoman hometown, renouncing her dark past while striking back at her former surrogate father, Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his criminal enterprise. Cox spoke about growing up and her experience with deaf characters, what she learned from her time on Hawkeye, co-stars Charam Greene and Tantoo Cardinal, representation, and keeping up during intense scenes.

How Marvel and Alaqua Cox Learned from Each Other for 'Echo'

When it came to what Cox knew from growing up watching deaf characters on the screen. "I remember seeing deaf roles portrayed by hearing people, which of course is not right. I would say, 'Why are they signing that wrong?' or 'The facial expressions aren't completely accurate with the signing,'" Cox told Variety. "You can tell it's not a real deaf person. I wish we had more deaf roles being portrayed growing up, but now we have 'CODA,' of course, that won the Oscar, and we're breaking down barriers now for the deaf community. They should be picking deaf actors for these deaf roles to make it authentic, and it seems like we're making it happen."

During Hawkeye production, Cox had to slow down. "I learned a lot of patience because I was signing my lines faster, and they said, 'Take your time. I know it'll feel weird, but it'll look good on camera,'" she said. "I'd be like, OK, but this feels awkward, taking these long beats." When it came to working with screen veterans Greene (Skully) and Cardinal (Chula), "My grandmother and my mother are huge fans of Graham Greene. They have a crush on him," she said. "When I met Graham Greene, I was like, 'Do you mind signing this paper for my grandma?' He's just such a joy to work with. Graham Greene and Tantoo both remind me of my grandparents. When I first met them, we clicked immediately just in an Indigenous way."

As far as any ASL, emotional, and physical needs, along with the uphill challenge to accommodate Cox's inexperience as an actor, "They were able to hire deaf people behind the camera who helped me out. I had an ASL consultant who was deaf on set, and he helped me with the translation of English into ASL of my lines," she said. "I also had a deaf acting coach and a deaf personal trainer. I told [Marvel] that I would like to be able to have one-on-one conversations with them, instead of going through an interpreter. And they actually made it happen." The crew came up with an intriguing way to cue Cox to deliver her lines. "There's a scene with Kingpin — he's talking to me using his voice, but I'm using sign language when I talk back to him. The problem was I did not know when it was my turn for my line to start," she said. "So one of the interpreters came up with the idea of using a buzzing device that we would put in my shirt. When Kingpin was done talking to me, the interpreter would hit the remote on the device to let me know it's my turn. That was a challenging thing because all of the Kingpin scenes were very serious and intense and involve a lot of emotion. When the vibration happened, it was, of course, very distracting and kind of brought me out of it. It was very, very, very tough, but we made it work."

For more, including Cox's home reservation reaction to her Marvel work, how cast and crew took ASL classes for her, the nuance of ASL, and more, you can check out the interview here. All five episodes of Echo, which also stars Chaske Spencer, Charlie Cox, Devery Jacobs, and Zahn McClarnon are available on Disney+.

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