Millions of people tuned in to watch the stars of Tinseltown at the glittering Academy Awards ceremony but it was a six-year-old schoolgirl from Swindon who stole the hearts of viewers.
Maisie Sly starred in the Oscar-winning movie The Silent Child, having auditioned for the role after her parents replied to a post on Facebook appealing for a deaf child who communicates entirely through sign language.
She had never been on a plane before the screening of her film, let alone visited America – but now the six-year-old, who is the fourth generation of her family to be born deaf, has become a global superstar overnight.
Maisie’s proud father Gilson Sly has now released a heartwarming video of the youngster’s ‘Road to the Oscars’ showing her beaming alongside her siblings as she enjoys her first trip to Universal Studios in America.
Maisie, right with her parents Elizabeth and Gilson, her older brother Jack, eight, and younger sister Chloe, four. The family communicate using British Sign Language
Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton and Maisie Sly stole the evening at the 90th Annual Academy Awards, winning an Oscar for The Silent Child
She may be a leading lady but Maisie still has homework to do. She is pictured here in Los Angeles concentrating on her studies
Adorable photographs posted by her proud parents show Maisie excitedly attending a dress fitting ahead of the ceremony
A video shows Maisie excitedly skipping around Universal Studios with her brother and sister
Maisie, who was born profoundly deaf, was invited to the Los Angeles awards show after wowing critics and audiences with her performance in the short film The Silent Child – her first ever film role.
Maisie, who was born profoundly deaf, was invited to the Los Angeles awards show after wowing critics and audiences with her performance
She sat in the audience alongside Hollywood heavyweights with her mother Elizabeth, who is also deaf.
Elizabeth met Maisie’s father Gilson, 34, when he went along to play for a deaf football team managed by Elizabeth’s brother.
Maisie, her older brother Jack, eight, and younger sister Chloe, four, all communicate by using British Sign Language (BSL).
Their great grandparents, grandparents and an uncle are all also deaf.
The family relocated from Cornwall to Swindon so the children could attend Red Oaks Primary School, a mainstream school with specialist support.
Maisie landed the film role after her father Gilson, 34, who is profoundly deaf in one ear and uses a hearing aid, responded to a Facebook advert looking for deaf four and five year olds.
Adorable photographs posted by her proud parents show Maisie doing her homework in Hollywood and excitedly attending a dress fitting ahead of the ceremony.
And a video on Twitter shows the leading lady excitedly skipping around Universal Studios with her brother and sister, beaming with joy as she meets Minions and enjoying the rides.
The little trio cannot contain their glee as they make their way around Lose Angeles
Maisie plays Libby, a deaf child born into a hearing family who struggle to cope with her condition
The talented six-year-old communicates using British Sign Language
Maisie sat in the Oscars audience alongside Hollywood heavyweights with her mother Elizabeth, who is also deaf
Maisie’s performance has been hailed as ‘magnetic’ and ‘brilliant’ by critics
Maisie’s family relocated from Cornwall to Swindon so the children could attend Red Oaks Primary School, a mainstream school with specialist support
Videos show the youngster in Hollywood as she gets ready to go to the biggest awards ceremony in the showbiz calendar
Rachel Shenton held a nationwide search before she found Maisie
Written by former Hollyoaks star Rachel Shenton, the 20-minute film tells the story of a deaf girl born to hearing parents who struggle to cope with their daughter’s condition.
Maisie plays Libby, a deaf child born into a hearing family who struggle to cope with her condition.
She later finds solace when a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her sign language, which she had not been taught in mainstream school.
Shenton, whose fiance Chris Overton directed the project, wrote the film after seeing the struggles faced by her father when he went deaf during her childhood.
The pair held a nationwide search and auditioned 100 children before Maisie, who had never acted before, won the role.
The short film is now in more than 600 cinemas in the US.
As she took to the stage to give her thanks, Rachel, who played Mitzeee Minniver in the Channel 4 soap from 2010 to 2013, signed for the hard-of-hearing audience members and for her film’s six-year-old protagonist Maisie Sly.
Maisie, her older brother Jack, eight, and younger sister Chloe, four, (pictured with their parents) are the fourth generation of the Sly family to be born deaf
Maisie’s face lights up as she meets the Minions with her brother and sister
She later finds solace when a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her sign language, which she had not been taught in mainstream school
Maisie’s performance was hailed as ‘magnetic’ and ‘brilliant’ by critics.
Mr Sly said: ‘Watching the film was incredibly emotional, we both feel so proud of Maisie and how she has taken it all in her stride, and stayed the same person.
Maisie’s performance was hailed as ‘magnetic’ and ‘brilliant’ by critics
‘Maisie was pretty cool about the nomination, it’s her natural way. I’m not too sure there are many six year old girls that fully understand the magnitude of Oscars.’
Speaking after her incredible win, Shenton described the moment she collected her award.
She said: ‘I could see Maisie, I knew where she was sat with her mum. I knew where she was sat. I kept looking at her, but I didn’t actually have my glasses on.
‘I knew roughly where she sat but everybody looked a bit blobby, which probably helped actually with the nerves as I was terrified.’
The British soap stars are best known for playing Mitzeee Minniver and Liam McAllister in Hollyoaks.
They fended off competition from short films DeKalb Elementary, The Eleven O’Clock, My Nephew Emmett, Watu Wote/All Of Us at the glittering ceremony.
Shenton said: ‘Our movie is about a deaf child being born into a world of silence.
‘It’s not exaggerated or sensationalised for the movie, this is happening, millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers and particularly access to education.’
Chris added: ‘Hopefully [the Oscar] will open doors, but mainly for the message of the film and what it’s done for deaf awareness.’
The Silent Child is available to buy on YouTube and Google Play.