Cj jones parents
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Faces Behind the Screen: CJ Jones
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CJ Jones has been an unstoppable force within Hollywood as a Deaf actor, producer, director, writer, and entrepreneur.
He’s a radiant and fearless individual who has embraced his deafness as an asset that has helped open doors for him and others within the Deaf community.
Whether it’s rapping on A Different World, or cracking hilarious jokes as a stand-up comedian, no door ever remains closed for CJ.
We had the pleasure of interviewing CJ and learning more about working as a Deaf actor in an industry that has only just started changing its perspective on Deafness. CJ shared insight into his role in the new blockbuster film Baby Driver, dished about his company Sign World TV, and answered a few other questions about his upbringing and personal mission as a Deaf actor.
Below is a video from our interview with CJ in which he signed his responses. The text in this story is transcribed from his interpreter
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I was excited to learn that the Deaf character in the summer hit Baby Driver is actually played by a Deaf actor. This may signal a positive shift in Hollywood. Historically, most of the disabled characters in films were played by non-disabled actors, and a study by the Ruderman Family Foundation found that 95% of disabled characters on television are played by non-disabled actors. This is called cripface, like blackface, and needs to stop. When filmmaker Edgar Wright searched for an actor to play Joseph, the Deaf father of the main character in Baby Driver, he discovered CJ Jones. Jones is a highly talented actor with extensive experience in film and television. He’s also Deaf, offering a wealth of insights into Deaf culture and American Sign Language. Impressed by Jones’ talent, Wright cast Jones to play Joseph. Jones became the first black Deaf actor in a major movie.
Jones graciously took time from his busy schedule to talk to me about his career. Jones generally conducts calls through video, allowing him to communicate visually through American Sign Language. Because I’m
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CJ Jones
American actor (born 1950)
CJ Jones (born 1949/1950)[1] is an American actor. He is one of the subjects of See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary (2009).[2][3][4][5] Jones made his feature film debut with Edgar Wright's Baby Driver (2017), in which he portrays Joseph, the deaf foster father of Ansel Elgort's protagonist.[6]
He has developed three one-man shows that have toured the United States, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Ecuador, and Canada. He co-wrote and directed six classic fairy tales for children's television for the series Once Upon a Sign. CJ produced the International Sign Language Theater Festival, which hosted theater artists from all over the world. He has also appeared in various episodes of American TV series.
Jones created a Na'vi sign language for Avatar: The Way of Water, in which he plays a Na'vi.[1]
Personal life
CJ Jones is the son of deaf parents who communicated in American Sign Language. One of seven hearing children born to the couple, h