Echo is Marvel's first-ever TV show to star a deaf superhero (and played by a deaf actor). But what's even cooler, is that Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) isn't the only character in the show who can sign. The entire cast (and crew) learned American Sign Language in order to not only communicate with Alaqua Cox, but to talk on-screen with Maya. Because of this, the close-up shots in the show are done differently – something director Sydney Freeland and her team worked really hard to incorporate.
"Early on, myself, my department heads, and our crew – we all started taking American Sign Language classes. One of the things that I learned in that experience is that the way that you communicate [in ASL] is different than the way you and I talk," Freeland explains to GamesRadar+. "Between you and us right now, I'm verbalizing my words, but the way I deliver those words – that is the subtext. And you need both, the text and the subtext, to get the full emotional intent of what is being communicated."
