Performing was “never a question” for Ana Maria Belo. The star of It’s Fine, I’m Fine says she’s been in love with the craft since she was a child, playing an owl in a primary school production, re-enacting scenes from Fawlty Towers and The Golden Girls with her brother at family gatherings, studying at NIDA and eventually becoming one of the Aussie screen industry’s most exciting talents.
She speaks about her musical and screen work with such joy, it’s clear Ana was always meant to shine.
The question was more… how? Ana began losing her hearing at the age of 7 and started wearing hearing aids as an adult. Pursuing a career as an actor (and director, producer, writer and beloved Sydney acting coach) in an industry still finding its way with inclusion and representation, meant she had to figure out how to navigate film sets, how to interact with her costars, and how to advocate for herself too.
courtesy Netflix
It wasn’t always easy, and sometimes involved lying about her hearing loss to land roles in the first place. But today, Ana says she’s embracing what she proudly calls her “deaf superpowers” – “I can’t hear, but I can listen,” she says of her approach which has taken her to the Aussie productions of Fame, Hair, 9 to 5 and In the Heights, countless TV shows including Home & Away, All Saints and House Husbands, the Disney+ series, Last Days of the Space Age, and more recently, Mixtape alongside Teresa Palmer.
As her star continues to rise, Ana tells CelebrityKind about her experiences as a deaf actor, preparing for her role in Its Fine, I’m Fine, the misconceptions the industry has about d/Deaf talent and her advice for anyone wanting to follow her path.
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When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in entertainment?
AMB: I don’t think there was a choice. I think it’s just always been there, it was never a question. I remember at one point in year 12, I had auditioned for NIDA and they wrote me a letter saying ‘we love you, but you’re too young, come back and audition next year’ so I thought I’ll take a year and do child studies at a university. I remember my high school drama teacher finding out and she rang my house and said ‘if you enrol in a child studies course, I will go down there myself and drag you out!’ That was Christine Hatton who encouraged me to do a performing arts course while I wait for NIDA, and I did!
You’ve had several “firsts” in your career – can you tell us about them?
AMB: I find the “firsts” thing really weird (laughs). I struggle with saying it because it was never part of my world growing up but now that I’m noticing a lot of people are claiming it, I guess I could too? I’m certainly not the first person to lie about their hearing loss, but as far as I’m aware, I’m the first deaf person in Australia to be cast in a commercial musical. When I did Fame in 1999, they didn’t know about my hearing loss until after they cast me. And 9 to 5 was the first big commercial musical to cast me knowing I wore hearing aids. And I think, It’s Fine, I’m Fine makes me the first deaf actor to lead a drama series in Australia.
That’s awesome – you gotta own it!
AMB: Well, there is this strange question too of how does one identify themselves? I think identity is a huge journey for everyone. A lot of people tell me that I don’t look deaf or sound deaf. But what does that even mean? There’s “capital D Deaf” where you are culturally deaf and Auslan is your first language, or you’re “little d deaf”, which is what I am. I speak. I wear hearing aids and I sign. I rely heavily on lip reading. I speak English and Portuguese at home. That was my first language, not Auslan. So the main people around me don’t know sign language. I do have friends in the Deaf community who I sign with and some friends who are learning to sign now. And I sign with my dog Patti who is also deaf. She doesn’t know how to sign back yet but she understands me so that’s all that matters. But yeah, identities are tricky.
Ana Maria Belo pictured with her dog, Patti. Photo by David Hooley
What do you need to think about on set that non-d/Deaf actors perhaps don’t?
AMB: Great question. So everything for me is visual in terms of the rehearsal and when we’re on set. What I’m looking at is, what is the rhythm of the other actor? And that doesn’t necessarily mean speech rhythm. It means, how are they breathing? So I’ll notice shoulders, their body, where they’re moving in the space, and I try to tap into their rhythm. I notice there’s often a rehearsal performance and there’s that ‘cameras are rolling’ performance so I’m tapping into that rhythm figuring out where am I going to feel their voice from, what cues can I take from them physically. It can be harder when I have to enter a scene because you miss what happens beforehand. But I always try to watch people’s shoulders from around the corner and when they’ve stopped moving, they’ve stopped talking. That’s my cue!
You’ve been playing therapists in your last few roles – how did you prepare?
AMB: I’m a therapist in so many things now! There’s Mixtape and It’s Fine, I’m Fine. I’m also a therapist in the first episode of Bump, so that’s three. And I’m a therapist in a short film that’s not been released yet. And if I’m not a therapist, I’m a nosy neighbour like in Apples Never Fall and Last Days of the Space Age. I love my two little lanes, I’m pretty happy in them!
As for preparation, I always say I can’t hear, but I can listen. It’s a huge part of my deafness and I find with therapists, those types of roles are about letting the other person do what they do. They are the ones bringing the drama to the scene and my job is to be open and listen, allow them space to say and do what they need to. I think back to drama school where you’re told to sit and be, and you think you’re doing nothing but you’re actually in a vulnerable space and you’re doing so much. So it’s been a challenge playing therapists but also freeing, because it was a huge lesson for me. There’s a part of me as an actor that feels like I always need to perform and show you everything I can do, and being the one who sits back to listen is a totally different kind of performance.
Do you find you’re constantly learning along the way?
AMB: Absolutely. I’ve done theatre my entire life and I love it so much. It’s so much a part of my body, I feel like I know it inside out. I feel safe on stage. Any chance I get to be on a set with new people, new dynamics, it’s so thrilling to me. I’m always learning. I’m studying everyone on that set.
What are the misconceptions the screen industry has about d/Deaf actors?
AMB: I think the biggest misconception is that we are all the same. Every d/Deaf actor has very different needs. I think that more education and conversations are needed in order to support d/Deaf actors coming into the industry. I think the screen industry has been working in a certain way for so long and change is scary for some people. But the more we implement change the easier it will be. Sure, getting an interpreter on set can feel like a huge shift at first. It’s different. It’s new. But it’s not as scary as it first seemed. The industry is changing. We are having more of those important conversations. We are asking, what do we need to do to open the doors or get these people at the table? It’s mind-boggling really that everyone in film doesn’t know sign language. I mean, if you’re going to learn it anywhere, it’s on set where you need to be quiet when the cameras are rolling. It would be so useful! They haven’t caught on yet, but they will (laughs).
What advice do you have for aspiring d/Deaf actors?
AMB: That’s easy. Just never give up. Keep working. Keep following that dream because there absolutely is a place for us and very soon I hope there will be more stories for d/Deaf actors, and characters. And we don’t need to just play deaf characters, by the way. That’s something I’m really trying to break – like yes, I’m a deaf actor but I also do hearing roles. So don’t give up!
Follow Ana Maria Belo on Instagram: @anamariabelo17
Check out her website: anamariabelo.com
And watch her on It’s Fine, I’m Fine, out now on Netflix.
(Feature Image Credit: David Hooley)
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