The trans, Deaf, and Jewish actor said the character "hits close to home."
Serena SonomaChella Man has officially made his debut as Jericho in the DC Universe digital series Titans— which depicts a group of young heroes who join forces in their fight against evil.
“As a Deaf individual who uses sign language on a daily basis, his primary mode of communication hits close to home,” Man said in a tweet, referring to the fact that Jericho also doesn’t speak. “I RARELY saw sign authentically represented growing up, so this opportunity made my heart soar. I hope to make you all proud!”
On this week’s episode, Man makes his debut, though the season began earlier this month.
“As a trans, Deaf, Jewish person of color, I have always reminded myself of the power in my differences,” Man said in a statement to Out, when the casting was initially announced. “It is a dream come true, now, as I will be able to showcase this power on Titans.”
As evidenced the debut, Jericho utilities sign language, primarily, to communicate, similarly to Man. This made taking on the role important for the 20-year-old actor.
“I rarely saw sign language authentically represented on screen growing up, so this incredible opportunity has made my heart soar,” he told Huffington Post earlier this year.
Season 2 which is now streaming on DC Universe shows Joseph Wilson a.k.a. Jericho as the superhero son of Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator (played by Esai Morales). Mute after his father failed to rescue him from having his vocal cords severed by assassins, Jericho has the ability to possess anyone he makes eye contact with.
The season also features Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Kory Anders, Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth, Ryan Potter as Garfield Logan, Curran Walters as Jason Todd and Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, with Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger, Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall, Joshua Orpin as Superboy, Chelsea Zhang as Rose Wilson, Chella Man as Jericho, Drew Van Acker as Aqualad, Esai Morales as Deathstroke and Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne.
RELATED |Trans, Deaf Artist Chella Man Cast as Superhero in DC’s ‘Titans’