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After the Barbie movie became the biggest blockbuster of the year and one of the best movies of 2023, Warner Bros. has just made history. The film has reportedly just become the first to have an American Sign Language (ASL) version available to stream on Max at the same time as the original version. Bringing Barbie to the Deaf community was no small task, but thanks to Deaf actress and ASL interpreter Leila Hanaumi, now even “Kenough” has a sign.
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera ,among other standouts in the Barbie cast, may be getting awards buzz for their roles in the summer hit, but Leila Hanaumi had the task of embodying everyone of the roles in the movie as Barbie’s ASL interpreter. She’ll show up at the bottom right corner of the screen when you watch the ASL version with a Max subscription. Amidst Robbie herself calling Hanaumi’s performance “simply incredible,” the interpreter shared her thoughts on being part of the inclusive streaming feature. In her words (via interpreter):
It’s more than just a movie. It is a cultural phenomenon. The fact that this movie is being made accessible in ASL shows the deaf community, we’re part of this conversation. We are not left out of the conversation like we usually have been in history before. We are part of this process, not as an afterthought.
In an interview with IndieWire, Leila Hanaumi shared that she spent three weeks studying Greta Gerwig’s Barbie script and rewatching the movie along with working with ASL coach Jac Cook on the project. The movie was then split into 32 chunks for her, which she’d have to sign uninterrupted – with the longest take being five minutes of Hanaumi getting through dialogue in ASL. As the actress and interpreter continued:
You had parallel narratives going on. I had to make sure that my signing speed and my demeanor matched the fun, cheerful vibe while making sure that my signing choices conveyed the depth. … My job with ‘Barbie’ was to become part of the movie and to stay as authentic to the character and their lines as much as I could as possible. It wasn’t about what or how I would like to express myself as an artist. It’s about how do I make sure that the Deaf viewer related to the movie? I’m becoming like a vehicle or medium for the Deaf people to be able to fully access the movie that’s already been made.
Ahead of Hanaumi coming into the picture, Warner Bros. Discovery’s senior VP of global product management, Naomi Waibel, and her team did a ton of research about how they could create an ASL version of Barbie that would deliver to the Deaf community – including Hanaumi’s placement on the screen and what she should be wearing. After much discussion, it was also ultimately decided that she would be the sole interpreter, which meant she had to translate and embody every character in the movie, and even translate songs in the film like Lizzo’s “Pink” song at the top of the film. Hanaumi expressed her gratitude for being part of the project, saying,
I have no doubt that this will be a cult classic hit forever. It’s really touching to me to know that the Deaf community has full access to a movie like this.
Warner Bros. and Max took a huge step for ASL accessibility for delivering this version of Barbie on the same day it was released on streaming for the first time. Previously, Disney+ rolled out the first ASL version of a movie on Disney+ with Ant-Man. This latest undertaking by Max shows that more studios are taking the initiative, and it surely makes a big difference for the Deaf community.