Shoshannah Stern

Shoshannah: If you translated my name, it would be Rose Star, which is actually the shade of lipstick I found once, which looked terrible on me.

Shoshannah: There's not exactly a huge plethora of deaf characters available out there. It's been an upward struggle, but it's been consistently upward, and that's a wonderful thing. I don't plan on giving up anytime soon.

Shoshannah: I was born deaf and it wouldn't be in my control to change it even if I wanted to. If I listened to them say, "You're deaf, so you can't do this," it would mean I'm allowing myself to believe that. I know I've earned the right to be who I am.

Shoshannah: I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don't have. On the flip side, even though I had some hearing, I wore hearing aids only when watching movies, because hearing was really more of a distraction than a benefit for me. I had no reason to hear since everyone in my world was deaf and I went to a university for the deaf.

Shoshannah: I don't really think you can ever really prepare for acting. Anyone can go to acting classes and rattle off dates of famous playwrights' deaths. You'll ace the class, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll land a role. That being said, I also think that my love for literature and translation and learning itself helped a lot. To be an actor, you have to know things, feel things. I think the more you know, the more you learn, the better of an actor you become. My love of the English language definitely paid off. Acting's all about interpretation, and if you give an interesting or different approach to a classic piece of work, that's always a good thing in my opinion.

Shoshannah: I'm an actor, not a writer. I'd be pretty annoyed if the writers tried to come in and hang over my shoulder telling me how to act, so I don't go in and tell them how to write. I feel I should defer to the writers and the directors because they're the ones who have the complete vision. They see things through from the beginning to the end. I'm responsible for one small part, so my scope is much more limited than theirs.

Shoshannah: I'm trying to get in for roles that aren't necessarily deaf. And that is where the struggle happens.

Shoshannah: When I was starting out in the business, I was able to audition right away without much professional experience for deaf roles. I felt very lucky to have such a specific niche as a new actor.

Shoshannah: (Talking about her dream of acting) I've never wanted to be anything else. My mother says that even my birth was dramatic! I'd always find excuses to act growing up, even if it was to make up a long-winded story about being an orphan to con some poor man out of buying me a candy bar when I was around 7 years old. I've never wanted to be a fireman or an astronaut like all the other kids my age; I always wanted to be an actor.