This documentary follows Ruby Rossi, a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) who discovers a love for music. Ruby, who has spent her entire life serving as a link between her family and the “hearing world,” finds herself in a predicament where she must choose between her familiar existence and her passion. As the poignant intricacies of Ruby’s decision are revealed, the Academy Award-winning film also provides audiences with an intimate insight into Deaf society.
Ruby’s character is brought to life by Emilia Jones, who portrays a compelling adolescent who has spent her entire life with her deaf parents and siblings. Ruby’s musical prowess is also on display, leading us to wonder what was going on behind the scenes throughout the film’s production. Is it Emilia Jones’ voice that we’re hearing on the other end of the line? And, more importantly, does she truly understand sign language? We looked into it and discovered the answer.
Do you know if Emilia Jones actually sang in CODA?
In fact, the dulcet tones of Ruby’s singing are actually the voice of Emilia Jones! Before her appearance in ‘CODA,’ the actress stated that she had only been “singing around the house and doing things.” However, she actually auditioned by singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” for the role. However, in order to prepare for her role, she was had to sing considerably more difficult songs, including covers of songs by artists such as Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Christina Aguilera. She completed the challenge successfully.
In addition to her acting credentials, the actress, who is the daughter of musician and television personality Aled Jones, has a few singing credits to her name as a performer and songwriter. The kind of musical preparation that was required for ‘CODA’, on the other hand, had not been required for any of her previous endeavours. She also sang the song that played throughout the film’s closing credits, ‘Beyond the Shore,’ which was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of original music.
In spite of the fact that she found the prospect of singing such “huge songs” intimidating, Jones claimed that she found inspiration in her character, Ruby, and her desire for attending Berklee (which is a significant element of the film’s plot). Also, she appeared to have three different playlists that she cycled between when she was on set: a cheerful playlist, a sad playlist, and a playlist containing songs that her character would listen to. To be sure, in addition to all of her own preparation, Jones was also given vocal coaching in order to be ready for her role on the show.
Emilia Jones: Does She Know Sign Language?
Regarding Jones’ prior familiarity with sign language, she had never utilized American Sign Language (ASL) prior to the film ‘CODA’ before the role. Having a strong command of American Sign Language (ASL) is a result of the actress’s collaboration with sign language coach Anselmo DeSousa as well as ASL supervisors Alexandria Wailes and Anne Tomasetti on set.
To be honest, Jones had a rocky start when it came to learning sign language for the film. Sian Heder, the film’s director, is said to have emailed her an initial video for her to watch and then sign off on the sequence. Because the movie’s link expired, Jones — who had only watched it twice — had to spend the rest of the weekend practicing fingerspelling “Berklee,” which was the only part of the video she remembered. Consequently, she developed a high level of proficiency in fingerspelling and, two weeks later, learned that she had been cast in the role.
Jones, on the other hand, has decided to continue using sign language and interacting with the Deaf community. Interestingly, in addition to studying American Sign Language, the actress, who is of English descent, is likely to have had to work on her American accent. Ultimately, Emilia Jones’s role in ‘CODA,’ which demands her to sing and sign at the same time in one scene, allowed her to hone a variety of new abilities and combine them effortlessly to bring Ruby Rossi to life. According to her, sign language proved to be the most difficult, while singing proved to be the most intimidating.
Also Read: CODA Title: What Does It Mean?