Alaqua Cox tells Jimmy Fallon she used vibration devices on 'Hawkeye' to cue her when acting with characters who didn’t know ASL

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Alaqua Cox, the talented actress portraying the groundbreaking character Maya Lopez, aka Echo, in Marvel's 'Hawkeye' series, recently shared a unique and innovative approach she used while acting alongside Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.

The actress revealed the inventive use of vibration devices to signal her when to deliver her lines during scenes where her character interacted with Kingpin.

The unconventional solution

During her interview with Jimmy Fallon, Cox detailed the challenge she faced while working with Vincent D'Onofrio's character, Kingpin, who lacked proficiency in sign language.

The actress was unsure when Kingpin had finished delivering his lines, creating a unique communication challenge on set.

Cox explained, "Obviously, as you mentioned, his character does not know sign language, and I was not sure when he was finished with his line. So the interpreting team had an idea, and they came up with this idea where we used a vibration device and we would put it in my shirt."

The vibration device innovation

This device would serve as a cue to indicate when D'Onofrio had completed his lines and it was her turn to respond. The interpreter controlled the device remotely, ensuring seamless coordination between the actors.

Cox shared, "When he was done with his line, the interpreter would have control of it, and they would push the remote to let me know it’s my turn." This allowed for a more synchronized and authentic performance, despite the characters' language barrier within the storyline.

Challenges and laughter

However, Cox humorously recounted the unexpected challenges posed by the vibration device, particularly during emotionally charged scenes.

She admitted, "But during the emotional scenes, it would scare me sometimes because I’m so focused on these emotional scenes. Right? It was so bad. Yes, oh my gosh, I’m trying to focus on these emotions. But yeah, it scared me. But I hope it looks good on the screen."