Former Hollyoaks actress Rachel Shenton, who won an Oscar for her short film The Silent Child, has revealed that her father's deafness inspired the project. The 30-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent wrote the film after her father Geoff lost his hearing following chemotherapy and spent the last 18 months of his life unable to hear.
The Silent Child, which won Best Live Action Short at the Academy Awards, follows a four-year-old deaf girl named Libby who is taught sign language by a social worker, played by Shenton. The actress said the story felt natural to write because of its personal significance, and she hopes the film will educate audiences and spark conversations about deafness.
Shenton is now working on a feature-length version of the film. In May, she will screen it in Parliament, advocating for sign language to be added to the national curriculum. Currently, 78 per cent of deaf children in mainstream schools do not receive additional support.
The title role was played by six-year-old Maisie Sly from Swindon, who is deaf. Shenton praised Maisie's natural talent and maturity, noting that the young actress was more excited about meeting Donald Duck at Disneyland than Steven Spielberg at the Oscars luncheon.
Shenton, who learned sign language for her father, began her acting career with small roles in Waterloo Road and Holby City before joining Hollyoaks in 2010 as Mitzeee Minniver. She worked with the National Deaf Children’s Society during her time on the soap. The Silent Child was directed by her fiancé Chris Overton on a £10,000 budget raised through crowdfunding.
