Echo is Marvel's first-ever TV show to star a deaf superhero (and played by a deaf actor). But what's even cooler, is that Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) isn't the only character in the show who can sign. The entire cast (and crew) learned American Sign Language in order to not only communicate with Alaqua Cox, but to talk on-screen with Maya. Because of this, the close-up shots in the show are done differently – something director Sydney Freeland and her team worked really hard to incorporate.
"Early on, myself, my department heads, and our crew – we all started taking American Sign Language classes. One of the things that I learned in that experience is that the way that you communicate [in ASL] is different than the way you and I talk," Freeland explains to 12DOVE. "Between you and us right now, I'm verbalizing my words, but the way I deliver those words – that is the subtext. And you need both, the text and the subtext, to get the full emotional intent of what is being communicated."
A close-up shot usually frames the actor's face, putting a dramatic emphasis on what's being said or communicated within the scene. But because sign language is communicated through face, hands, and body language, the close-up shots in Echo incorporate more than just face.
"What we found out is that in sign language, you typically sign just in the chest area or just off to the side of the head area. When you sign, that is the text, but that's only half of the idea. The other half is the face and the way that you emote, and the way that you express yourself through your body language," Freeland continues. "That's the subtext, right? So, to get the full emotional intent of what's being communicated, you need to see [face], and you need to see [hands]. In our show, [face and hands] is a close-up. And because this is a close-up for Alaqua, that means it’s a close-up for everybody else. That was one thing that we really worked hard to incorporate."
In the series, nearly every single member of Maya's tight-knit community is able to understand and communicate with her. Kingpin even has his own ASL interpreter. Maya's deafness isn't seen as a hindrance for hearing people – instead, it's normal.
"One of the other things that was important to us, in terms of family members who aren't deaf – we learned that there are degrees of proficiency in ASL," Freeland says. "We try to incorporate that into our story. So, you have characters who are more 'fluent' in ASL than others. People that are more fluent will sign, but they won't speak."
Continues Freeland: "The people who are less proficient might be a little bit stilted in their signing, but they will also speak at the same time, and that's called simcom. So what we tried to do is actually build a spectrum of experience in the family members surrounding Maya Lopez. It all comes down to authenticity. And in doing so, hopefully we get to tell a more true story."
Chaske Spencer, who plays Henry Lopez, Maya's no-nonsense uncle, and Devery Jacobs, who plays Maya's estranged but beloved cousin Bonnie, both felt lucky to be able to learn ASL for the show.
"It was a gift," Spencer says of learning ASL for the Marvel series. "I had no experience with that whatsoever, and Marvel set up a really good production to help us learn ASL from Doug Ridloff [who also consulted on Eternals and is husband to that film's star Lauren Ridloff who portrayed deaf superhero Makkari]. Alaqua Cox was also very patient with us. They put a lot of time and heart into it, and I think you can see that in the production. I was very honored to be able to be part of that and be able to learn ASL."
"I felt lucky that I had a chance to learn ASL for Echo. Doug Ridloff was the ASL master and one of the producers on the project", Jacobs tells 12DOVE. "And, and we couldn't have crafted the performances and the lines of ASL without his mastery. He’s like an ASL Slam poet. His work and Alaqua's work were just really incredible. I'm still learning ASL. It’s hard, but really fun. I think it was a challenge that we were all up to the task for."
The limited, five-episode series picks up directly after the events of Hawkeye, and sees Maya (Alaqua Cox) return to her hometown in Oklahoma where she must reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she wants to heal and move forward. The cast also includes Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning, Zahn McClarnon, with Vincent D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprising their roles and Kingpin and Daredevil respectively.
Echo hits Disney Plus and Hulu on January 9 - meanwhile in the UK it will release on January 10. Make sure you have your Disney Plus settings set to TV-MA. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that you need to know about.
