Millicent Simmonds

“We have a wonderful world. I feel very lucky to be in it.”

“The deaf community relies so much on eye contact, expression and body language. It's such a huge part of who we are.”

“New York is my favorite city. I would love to move there one day.”

“I'm actually a fan of horror films.”

“I always wanted to be a cop or a fireman or do something dangerous.”

“We do need more deaf people in Hollywood. But I don't think that deaf people always have to play a deaf role. I think we can play different roles. We need to see more diversity period. More people of color. More disabled people. More gender diversity. All kinds of diversity.”

“When I read the script for 'A Quiet Place', I immediately wanted to be a part of the film. It is such a unique story and I love my character, Regan.”

“I have no problem with how people communicate. But I think it's important... for everyone to be open to learn sign language.”

“Scary movies depend on sound a lot to scare people. When I look around and see people are jumping in their seats, I think: Why? Why? Nothing happened!”

“When I lost my hearing, my mom got a deaf mentor to come into the home.”

“I'd love to continue acting. Maybe start a business.”

“In third or fourth grade, I loved to sign stories and monologues.”

“I'm from a really nice town. Full of nature, mountains, clean air, rock climbing. But I'd prefer New York City. I love the diversity here, the religions, the food - especially the food.”

“What I want to do is encourage more of that, more deaf presence in TV, movies, acting, modeling - that's really what I want to work toward.”

“I'm not as savvy and knowledgable about all of the directors that are out there, but as a person, I'm really open-minded and love meeting new people and watching the way directors film and their perspectives and following their lead.”

“I think hearing kids my age miss out on genuine connections already because they text so much, and then they feel awkward when they are face to face with someone.”

“If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there are others you can find who will. You're never alone.”

“Growing up, I never thought about becoming an actress because I never saw deaf people in TV or movies. I didn't think it was possible.”

“One of my favorite movies is 'Paper Moon.'”

“I was very shy. I didn't really hang around with hearing people very much. Mostly I had deaf friends.”