9-Year-Old Keivonn Woodard is cast as Sam in HBO’s The Last of Us, a show based on the popular video game that has become one of HBO Max’s most watched series. This is the first acting job for Keivonn, who is a Bowie native– a city located in neighboring Prince George’s County.
Woodard is part of a six-generation deaf family, many of whom are actors. He also plays hockey locally for the Bowie Hockey Club 10U Team. The photo seen below, courtesy of the Bowie Hockey Club, shows the team after becoming the 2022 Ice Works St. Patrick’s Day Tournament Champions.
“The overall experience was incredible. It was important to me to always be discussing with him how he was feeling and how he felt working with his team,” his mother, April Jackson-Woodard told the Daily Moth blog. “I had the expectations, of course, that him being deaf, I was ready for barriers, and problems to happen, but that was not the case at all! I’m thankful we had such a great team that was receptive and motivated along with us. We were very fortunate to have that great team.” Keivonn also has words of encouragement for the deaf community, “Don’t be afraid to try it out. Because that’s what my parents told me, to not be afraid to try out.” Feature photo courtesy of HBO
'