11 Questions with Marlee Matlin

So you think you can dance? Try doing it without hearing the music. That's what Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin will do on the sixth season of the hit reality series 'Dancing With the Stars.' Matlin answered our questions via e-mail about dancing while deaf, why she signed up and who her biggest competition is.

1. How Did you get involved with the show?
There was a rumor going around our household that Mom would be perfect for 'Dancing With the Stars.' And it seems that my husband and 12-year old-daughter were the ones who started it! Ha! As I told them, it's much nicer to be asked to the dance than to do the asking. So, when I was asked this past January, I thought the timing was too perfect to pass up.

2. Why did you want to go "Dancing"?
I wanted to be the coolest mom in the world for my daughter and make my husband proud. But mostly, I wanted share with my children the confidence that my parents instilled in me that they could do anything they set their minds to if they just followed their hearts. It's a philosophy that's guided me throughout my life despite what barriers came my way.

3. Do you think being deaf will help or hinder your Performances?
Neither. It's more about whether I can gather up the rhythm I've got inside me and get my feet, hips and shoulders to move. For me, the real handicap of being deaf isn't in my ears, it's in my head. Being deaf will hinder me only if I let it. And so far, I've managed to do quite well despite being an actor who is deaf in Hollywood, for over 20 years.

4. Did you have any dance training prior to joining the show?
If you count weddings and Bar Mitzvahs and a little shimmying I've done for my husband in the bedroom, then yes. But if not, then call me a newbie. I've never had formal dance training.

5. Your partner, Fabian Sanchez, is new. What tricks does he have up his sleeve?
His sparkling wit and dazzling dance technique! He's one of the funniest people I've ever met and I am constantly amazed by his dance ability! Not to mention that he has the Latin moves to die for.

6. What did you think when you got a partner who's new to the show?
I love Fabian. I couldn't be any happier to have been hooked up with him. But I also love Julianne [Hough]. At 19, she's done far more than anyone I've known and her talent and enthusiasm just blows me away!

7. Who do you think will be your biggest competition?
The ghosts of winners past: Apolo, Helio, Emmitt, Drew and Kelly. I've watched the show over the years and have to say that I have some big shoes to fill if I'm going to make audiences proud enough of my dancing ability to allow me to proceed to the final week.

8. Which dance intimidates you most? And which one do you love performing?
I think any dance where I'm not looking directly at my dance partner. That would be any dance where I have to look away like the fox-trot, waltz, quick step. Also those dances where I don't actually hold onto him, like the jive. As for the one I can rock at, I do love the cha-cha and all of the Latin dances. They are so soulful and sensual!



9. Which of your fellow dancers is your family most excited to meet?
For my seven-year-old son, Brandon, it's about meeting Jason Taylor; he's a huge football fan. And for my 12-year-old daughter, Sarah, it's about the stars who are singing on the show the second week -- The Jonas Brothers. She can't say their names without screaming! The two youngest ones don't really get the concept of stars yet. And as for my husband, he'd better say his wife! Ha!

10. Would you consider being part of another reality show?
I wouldn't mind producing one. And I wouldn't mind playing a role like Heidi Klum plays on 'Project Runway,' being the host of a show, but I don't think I could tell people that "you're out!" As for a show I wouldn't do, I would definitely never do a celebrity version of 'Survivor.' Jeff Probst is a friend of mine and I think he would go out of his way to make my life a living hell.

11. Do you worry about losing Oscars cred by wearing such skimpy, sparkly outfits?
If you can tell me the difference between the "skimpy sparkly outfits" and what Academy Award-winning actors (no names, please!) don't wear in movies they appear in, then I'd be happy to give [it] a second thought. 'Dancing With the Stars' is about the most family-friendly show I could have done. The outfits may be skimpy and sparkly but they're done with style and taste.