"CODA," the heartwarming drama about the child of deaf adults, made a resounding noise at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. In addition to winning for best picture, the film's triumph was highlighted by Troy Kotsur, who made history as the first deaf actor to win an Oscar.

Kotsur's performance as a father dealing with his struggling fishing business and the aspirations of his talented daughter — the only hearing member of the family — was anchored by humor and heartbreak, prompting many viewers to reach for tissues before the end credits.

But fans of the Apple TV+ film are likely to do a double-take when they see Kotsur in Netflix's new crime thriller "Black Rabbit." The actor has switched from loving dad to breaking bad.

In the limited series, Kotsur plays Joe Mancuso, a vicious criminal who has a deep connection to Jake and Vince Friedkin (played by Jude Law and Jason Bateman, respectively), the central characters of the drama. With a heavy beard and a lethal stare, he bears little resemblance to his Frank Rossi character in "CODA."

That difference is exactly what Kotsur wanted. Playing a bad guy fulfills one of his key ambitions. While he acknowledges that viewers might be initially thrown, he hopes they embrace his transition from tears to fears.

"I really wanted to surprise the audience and play something that was exactly the opposite from Frank Rossi," Kotsur said in a video call from his Mesa, Ariz., residence. His interpreter, Justin Maurer, participated in the discussion from Los Angeles.

He added, "I want the audience to see that I'm able to do a different kind of role where I can be scary."

Kotsur also hopes that his portrayal in "Black Rabbit" continues to further the breakthroughs for deaf artists that were generated by the success of "CODA."

"You see all these gangster movies where the bad guys have different nationalities," Kotsur said. "They all speak the same language, but there wasn't a villain who used sign language. Historically, there have been deaf criminals, but our history has been marginalized."

As he signed, Kotsur was visibly excited about "Black Rabbit," while also noting that the attention he had received after winning the supporting actor Oscar had taken him worlds away from his days as a struggling actor daydreaming as he drove past the gates of Warner Bros. and Paramount Studios.

"There were a lot of dark times, really struggling financially," he said. "I had to rely so much on my wife [actor Deanne Bray]. But when you win an Oscar, you're more legitimate, more doors open. People listen and trust you and your ability."

He pointed to a painting on the wall behind him that captured a moment on his big Oscar night. "When they announced, I stood up, looked at my wife, said 'Thank you' and kissed her," Kotsur said. "Someone took a picture of that, and it's captured in this painting. It's called 'The Embrace.' "

He's also thrilled by the impact that "CODA" has had on Hollywood: "I'm seeing a slow transformation happening," he said. "It's really amazing to see the change, to have more meetings and more conversations before we shoot. Everyone wants to have that cultural sensitivity with deaf culture and sign language. I'm really glad to see it while I'm still alive."

His bad-guy hunger was fueled by a memorable pre-"CODA" incident.

"I had a beard and pretty long hair at the time," Kotsur recalled."I was in an elevator, and I was tired. I pushed a button, but nothing seemed to be happening. Then the door opened, and there were two women, who were so surprised and frightened when they saw me that they started screaming. They wouldn't even get into the elevator!

"I felt hurt — 'Why are these women so afraid of me?' I didn't realize how I looked at the time. But I kept that moment in my tool bag and thought, 'One day I hope I can play a character that people can be scared of. So with 'Black Rabbit,' here's my opportunity."

Mancuso is just one of the many dark elements populating the series, the latest project from Riff Raff Entertainment headed by Law and partner Ben Jackson.

In "Black Rabbit," Law's Jake Friedkin co-owns a swanky new restaurant and VIP lounge that is fast becoming a New York hot spot. But the sudden arrival of Vince, who has a history of addiction, gambling and bad behavior, puts the siblings on a relentless spiral of mayhem and violence.

Mancuso is first glimpsed in the second episode in his lair deep in the basement of a Russian bath house. Signing with one hand, he glowers as he makes it clear to his bookies — son Junior (Forrest Weber) and Babbitt (Chris Coy) — that he is unhappy they have not yet collected on Vince's massive gambling debt.

Later in the episode, he displays warmth flavored by familiarity with Jake as the two negotiate a payment plan to pay off the debt. But when the encounter gets more tense, Mancuso unveils his lethal side, his smile dissolving into a sinister glare as he knocks a cup of hot coffee into Jake's lap.

"I get to have a sweet little arc where I go from friendly to mean," he said, flashing a smile. "And wow, I actually get to spill coffee on an A-lister! It was cool and fun."

Bateman, an executive producer who directed the first two episodes, provided Kotsur with guidance on how to play the scene.

"Jason said, 'I want you to do something simple,' " said Kotsur. "He said, 'You have this one line — "How much money?" — and you should have just a little smile. Then you go back to counting your money and working on your books.' That gave me a clue. Less is more, which as an actor I'm a big believer in."

He added, "Hearing villains can talk and point at the same time. But a deaf villain would have to think how to approach that. I hope the audience recognizes some of the subtleties. I wanted to keep Mancuso under control, keep the seething under the surface and show the power."

And while Rossi was animated while signing, Mancuso is pointedly more subdued. "He only uses one hand when he signs. If you think about it, maybe he has a gun in the other hand, or maybe the gun is in his waistband," he said. "Because Mancuso is in control, my portrayal needed to be in control. Other people might be in a rush, but Mancuso is not. He knows he will be the last person in the room, the last person to challenge."

The role was specifically written for Kotsur by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, who created the project. The couple met Kotsur on the 2022 awards circuit where "CODA" was a constant presence.

"Troy is such a compelling, larger-than-life figure," said Baylin, who received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay of 2021's "King Richard" starring Will Smith. "He's funny and gregarious, and we just had a great time socially with him. We believed he had a tremendous range that could play almost anything."

When Baylin and Susman asked Kotsur what he wanted to do next, he told them he really wanted to play a bad guy.

"That really stuck with me and Kate, and we had that in our back pocket for three or four years," Baylin said. "We wrote that role for him without telling him, excited about an actor with his presence and power who could play something menacing but also show the humanity and emotion he displayed in 'CODA.' He brings a powerful stillness to his performance that wasn't necessarily on the page."

Susman said Kotsur displays a lot of depth: "You can see it, like there's a storm brewing behind his eyes. We were so happy, and frankly relieved when he said he would do the show."

Weber, who shares several scenes with Kotsur where they converse in sign language, said he was awed when he met the Oscar winner on the first day of rehearsals.

"It was like hitting the jackpot for the second time after I got the role," said Weber, who said he learned sign language as a child, before he could even talk, because his older sister is deaf.

He continued: "There's such a gravity with Troy. In between takes, he's the most fun, outgoing guy in the world. But when he was in character, he was absolutely terrifying."

Kotsur said he worked on developing a backstory for his character that helped him in his scenes with Law and Bateman, but also in an episode later in the season when he plays a younger version of Mancuso.

"It's important for me as an actor to look at the backstory and journey of the character — why would Mancuso be working in the basement of a bathhouse?" he said. "What would bring him to that point. I thought, 'What if he was a janitor when he was younger, and someone noticed and trained him?' All the other mobsters felt safe because deaf people can't hear conversations. So he develops this trust, and gets more and more responsibility. And he winds up running the business."

Now that Kotsur, who appears in the recently completed third season of Apple TV+'s "Foundation" and will star in the upcoming horror film "Primate," can cross off "playing a bad guy," he has other ambitions: "I would love to do a Western. Also a comedy."

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