Today's Entertainment

Two ‘Switched at Birth’ teens fuel new ABC Family drama By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it The title “Switched at Birth” leaves little guesswork about the main subject of a new ABC Family series. Even then, though, there’s more to it. Premiering Monday, June 6, the drama draws together two distinctly different clans once they learn they both brought the wrong baby home from the hospital years ago. The children are in their teens now, and one (portrayed by hard-of-hear- ing actress Katie Leclerc) is deaf ... prompting other major changes for her biologi- cal parents, played by Lea Thompson (“Back to the Fu- ture”) and D.W. Moffett. The other girl (Vanessa Marano, “Gilmore Girls”) is the one who discovers the accidental switch, through testing her blood type in chemistry class. The eventual news also stuns the woman who turns out to be her birth mother (Constance Marie, “George Lopez”), a single parent whose money prob- lems inspire the other family to invite her to live in their guesthouse - thus bringing all of the show’s major play- ers into close proximity. Lucas Grabeel (“High School Musical”) and Sean Berdy, who is deaf, are in the regular cast as well. Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, fresh off her run on NBC’s “The what kind of hearing loss my character would have and how we wanted to portray that. “We kind of mapped out which sounds and letters she would able to say and which she wouldn’t, and it was a very tricky thing for me. I didn’t want to be insensitive at all. It was a delicate pro- cess, but I feel comfortable with it now.” Meniere’s disease is the Katie Leclerc (left) and Constance Marie star in “Switched at Birth,” premiering Monday on ABC Family. Celebrity Apprentice,” makes recurring appearances as a school counselor with ties to the two families. A parent of two girls with husband Howard Deutch, who directed her in the 1987 movie “Some Kind of Won- derful,” Thompson says she was “attracted to the idea of something mothers can watch with their daughters” in joining the “Switched at Birth” cast. “I’ve watched ABC Fam- ily a lot with them, so it ap- pealed to me that it’s on that network, and the story is an interesting one. “I’m extremely fascinated with nature vs. nurture and Stutzman MOTOR SALES , INC. 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US 33 West, Goshen • 533-1166 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL $ 1 OFF ALL OMELETTES & SKILLETS Excludes Specials 5:00 AM-10:00 AM MON.-THURS. 5230 BECK DRIVE (at CR 17) ELKHART • 574-333-3910 8 The Goshen News • Viewer’s Choice • Saturday, June 4 - Friday, June 10, 2011 which is more powerful, and this explores that a lot. Also, the people involved are really nice and really interested in doing quality work and find- ing the truth in the situation. That’s always a great thing for an actor.” So is learning a new skill for the acting, per Thomp- son, and that means sign language in this case. “I‘m learning as my character does,” she notes, “so I’m in a much better position than Constance Marie, who has to jump right in (as Leclerc’s presumed mother) and pre- tend she’s completely fluent. There’s a never-ending learn- ing curve in getting to under- stand other people and their points of view.” Leclerc actually is ca- pable of some hearing, and in regular conversation, her nonhalting voice makes it evi- dent she is applying her act- ing abilities in conveying her “Switched at Birth” alter ego’s more severe hearing loss. “My sister is an ASL (American Sign Language) teacher,” Leclerc says, “and she’s very involved in the deaf community. She and I sat down at the very begin- ning of this and talked about inner-ear disorder Leclerc has. “I’ve played deaf char- acters a few times now, and a lot of times, people are surprised. They’ll go, ‘Wait, she’s not deaf?’ No, I’m hard of hearing. There are four symptoms: pressure in the ear, ringing in the ear, vertigo - which is probably the most difficult to deal with, espe- cially if it happens on a set - and fluctuating hearing loss. At any given moment, my hearing can just drop out.” “Switched at Birth” is prov- ing to be a highly beneficial work experience for Leclerc. She terms her co-stars and producers “very understand- ing. I’ve been very lucky so far, since I’ve only had one or two attacks while on set. I’ll just sit down, and they’re very sweet; they’ll say, ‘Can we get you any water? Any- thing?’ The condition wors- ens as you get older, but for right now, my attacks have only lasted from 20 minutes to an hour. It’s sort of been an obstacle, but we all can work around it.” The actors aren’t the only ones adjusting to commu- nicating with Leclerc, Berdy and Matlin. “The entire crew is learning sign language,” Thompson reports,” one bit at a time, and it’s really beautiful to see. We’re all talking with our hands a lot more than we used to. It’s a good thing this isn’t a feature film, because hands would be coming at you in all the close-ups!” Thompson adds “Switched at Birth” poses other differen- S PECTRU M EYEWEAR GALLERY Can also be seen in Syracuse. To make an appointment call • GLASSES • CONTACTS • EYE EXAMS • SUNGLASSES David Britzke, O.D. is no longer at the Vision Center in Goshen. Please call 574-970-7444 to schedule your appointment. 56028 Parkway Ave., Suite E Elkhart • 574-970-7444 574-457-4476 Allergies? Asthma? We Can Help! See us for help with: • Headaches • Sinus Pressure • Congestion • Cough • Shortness of Breath Yatin J. Patel, M.D. Diplomate, American Board of Pulmonary Medicine • Sinus Drainage • Watery, Itchy Eyes • Sneezing • Fatigue • Skin Rash Sneeze & Snooze C L I N I C 2417 South Berkshire, Goshen 574-534-9911 www.md4lungs.com Watch informational videos on our website. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. tials between its two families, beyond the matter of hearing. “I love that the series is entertaining,” she says, “but it also has a conscious- ness-raising element. The audience gets to understand the deaf culture and the concerns and the prejudices involved, but other elements like class and race also are explored. That’s why I like doing drama. It helps us work out issues in our own heads to see them depicted dra- matically.” 13024 US 20, Middlebury • 574-825-2965 Free Air Conditioning Check BILL’S COLLISION With An Oil Change Through June! SERVICE Weblinks MTV’s new series “Teen Wolf” premieres Sunday after the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Watch a trailer and other clips by clicking on www.mtv.com/shows/teen_wolf/series.jhtml On Monday, HBO premieres the documentary “Bobby Fischer Against the World.” Learn more about the film at www.chess. com/news/bobby-fischer-against-the-world “Last Man Standing” premieres Monday on Lifetime. 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