How ‘Hollyoaks’ stars took home an Oscar
Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton both starred in the Channel 4 soap
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MOVIES hollyoaks
Two ‘Hollyoaks’ stars took home an Oscar at this year’s ceremony. ‘The Silent Child’ was directed by Chris Overton and written by Rachel Shenton, two ‘Hollyoaks’ actors. The film won the Best Live Action Short Film award, beating out films from Kenya, Australia, and America.
‘The Silent Child’ focuses on a deaf girl, played by Maisie Sly, who learns how to communicate. Shenton honoured the film by using sign language in her acceptance speech. “I made a promise to our six-year-old lead actress that I would sign this speech... my hands are shaking a little bit so I apologise,” Shenton said, as reported by BBC News. The actress and writer went on to say “Deafness is a silent disability. You can't see it and it's not life threatening so I want to say the biggest of thank yous to the Academy”.
Shenton’s inspiration for the film came from her father, who became deaf when she was 12.