For Natasha Ofili’s breakout role as Principal Karen Vaughn in Ryan Murphy’s critically acclaimed Netflix series The Politician, Oprah Daily singled Natasha out as “a host of newcomers that manage to steal the screen” from the show’s seasoned actors.  Her other credits include Amazon Originals’ animated series Undone and the short film Aimee Victoria (selected to screen at 18 film festivals around the country).  As Hailey Cooper in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, she was the first Black Deaf woman to play a character in a video game.

 

Natasha’s milestone for 2021 was acting, producing, and writing a short film inspired mainly by her life.  The Multi, which premieres at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival, is the story of an isolated Black Deaf woman who has constructed a world of order to keep a childhood trauma buried deep in her psyche while an unexpected turn of events forces her to confront demons from her past.  Having lost her hearing when she was 18 months old due to a high fever.  She created the film to spotlight an authentic perspective on trauma and mental health, especially from the point of view of the disabled and Black female communities, characters, are rarely portrayed on screen.  Natasha directed the entire creative direction (editing, music, sound, and wardrobe) of the film during the entire production. 

 

The Multi began with a grant opportunity for a different project.  Still, when COVID intervened, she pivoted her attention elsewhere, writing the script for The Multi in just three days, tapping into a new sense of creativity and vulnerability.  The making of the film proved to be as challenging as the story – ultimately shooting on a shoestring budget in between lockdowns in Los Angeles, with the crew and American Sign Language Interpreters all working remotely via large screens for a Zoom room so everyone could communicate, while limiting the numbers on the physical set.  The short film was selected to screen at seven film festivals as of February 2022.

 

Storytelling has helped her cope with her depression by interweaving her feelings and experiences to inspire action, change, and emotions.  With her background serving as a positive driving force in her craft, Natasha is passionate about inclusivity and representation of deaf entertainers in TV, film, and theater.  She works tirelessly to help break barriers for the deaf community with her newly growing platform.  Natasha is currently working on adapting a playwright, The Window, into a feature film to partner with a production company to produce the film in 2022.  

​

​