Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Marlee Matlin always looked forward to Sundays.
It was her father’s only day off, so her family made a weekly tradition of meeting up with close friends for breakfast at a local deli. Afterward, she and her family of five would do a season-friendly activity — apple picking in the fall or a Chicago Cubs game during the summer, perhaps — before wrapping up with a finale event they called “takeout Sundays.”
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
“Sundays were always my favorite day because I knew that we’d all be together,” says Matlin, who became the first deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987 at the tender age of 21. During our Zoom call, she communicated via an interpreter.
Throughout her career, the “Coda” star has been vocal about her battles with addiction and sexual abuse, but fans are getting an even more intimate look into her life via her latest project, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” which is showing in select theaters nationwide and will be available on demand on August 22. When she was approached to do a documentary, Matlin says it was a no-brainer for her to have her longtime friend and fellow deaf actor, Shoshannah Stern, direct it.
“What better way to have two deaf women who have similar shared life experiences to tell my story?” Matlin says. In the 1980s, she convinced lawmakers to add closed captioning to television programming.
The veteran actor and activist has been a self proclaimed “California girl” for nearly 40 years, but says that she will always be a “Chicago girl at heart.” (The skyline of the neighborhood she grew up in, Morton Grove, is proudly tattooed on her forearm.) These days, she’s enjoying empty-nester life with her husband Kevin Grandalski. Her ideal Sunday in L.A. involves visiting the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, getting her steps in at the Rose Bowl, having a slice of pizza in Eagle Rock and spending quality time with her 14-month-old granddaughter.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
6 a.m.: Take care of my pets
If I had the choice, I would probably wake up at 8 a.m., but because I have a cat, it’s 6 a.m. I also have a dog who needs to be taken out on a walk. Like a fool, he barks at every other dog that we encounter, and I have apologize to each dog owner.
Then I have to have to have breakfast. I’m a breakfast person. I don’t skip it. I love my oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar and blueberries. If I’m in the mood, I’ll make some turkey bacon and make sure it’s extra crispy, and I drink my Red Bull sugar free. I know I’m going to get a lot of flack because I drink a Red Bull in the morning, but that’s what I drink. I like my drink, and it’s as simple as that. I don’t drink coffee. I wish I did, but I don’t like the taste.
After I’ve gotten breakfast out of the way, I have to make my bed. I can’t even leave the house with an unmade bed. I have to make the bed immediately, and my husband knows that very well.
10 a.m.: Go shopping for new threads
I might go to Rose Bowl either for the flea market, which is open once a month, or for a walk. Before I had foot surgery, I would always go and walk around the Rose Bowl at least twice for a total of six miles. I love power walking.
Afterward, I would go to a couple of boutiques that I like. I’m a big supporter of small local businesses, so I would stop by Tuck in Pasadena and Everson Clare in La Cañada Flintridge. They are both female-owned, and they care about their customers a great deal. Both of them are very good friends of mine. They both work so hard to get their stores opened. I watched them from their inception to where they are today. They have different clothing styles that seem to fit me well. Then there are some stores that I’ll go to in Studio City. You can find me at Sephora, Nordstrom or HomeGoods.
2 p.m.: Pick a favorite L.A. activity
If we’re in the mood to be active, we’ll go to Descanso Gardens or to a Dodgers game. We recently went to Shot of Art, and it’s so fun. It’s similar to paintball. You create art on a canvas as it spins. I just got reelected as the governor of the Academy Museum, so I’ll make sure to go there. Being governor and a member of the Academy, they have been nothing but so supportive of my community and many other underrepresented communities as well. Everyone who has a love for film or history [and] how films are made should go to the museum. Even if you [do] not, you’ll be surprised.
4 p.m.: Quality time with my granddaughter
Then I’ll come back home to spend time with my granddaughter, who is 14 months old. We’ll have playtime at the house. She’s always exploring. She loves the cat. She runs after her, and I’m always the one having to run after the baby. So there’s the three of us running around: cat, baby, then me. I’ll take her to the park, which is down the street. Just being with her is the most important thing. We are just in awe of watching her grow, exploring the world and watching what she learns. That’s the perfect Sunday for me.
6 p.m.: Enjoy an early dinner
I love to cook on Sundays and have an early dinner. I have a whole raft of cookbooks and recipes that I’ve printed out. I’ll just take that big stack and search through it. I’m not somebody who does a whole lot of research. I just pick one and then go for it. I love to barbecue, and I love to bake desserts. I have a sweet tooth. I set up a candy bar — like a bar for candy — in my house. It’s dangerous to have a candy bar. Wait until my granddaughter grows old enough to realize what the candy bar is actually about.
But if I don’t feel like cooking, we might go to Casa Bianca. It’s a pizza shop in Eagle Rock. The pizzas, the mozarella sticks and the salads are fantastic. The chicken piccata is great, and the people who own it are just wonderful people and so welcoming.
8 p.m.: Backgammon before bed
I’ll spend time with my husband after dinner, and we’ll clean up. Then I’d check my phone to see what’s coming up for the week. Depending on what’s going on, I’ll get in touch with the kids and play backgammon on my phone — just spend time winding the day down. And I’ll take an evening walk. Before I close shop, I have to take the dog out once more. I go to bed early. I’m usually in bed by 9:30 p.m.
