Not that I have any interest in seeing anything Adam Sandler does anyway, but I’m sure I’ll be joined by many in the boycotting of his upcoming “The Ridiculous Six.”
A number of Native actors and the cultural consultant they had hired, walked off set after insults to women, elders, and just blatant disrespect got to be too much this week.
Actor Loren Anthony said he and others were hesitant to take part in the movie but were told that a cultural consultant was hired and that there would be no racism. It started with lack of thought put into costumes.
He said, “We were supposed to be Apache, but it was really stereotypical and we did not look Apache at all. We looked more like Comanche. One thing that really offended a lot of people was that there was a female character called Beaver’s breath. One character says ‘Hey, Beaver’s Breath.’ And the Native woman says, ‘How did you know my name?'” They also had a character named No Bra.
Actress Alison Young said, “When I began doing this film, I had an uneasy feeling inside of me and I felt so conflicted,” she said. “I talked to a former instructor at Dartmouth and he told me to take this as finally experiencing stereotyping first hand. We talked to the producers about our concerns. They just told us, ‘If you guys are so sensitive, you should leave.’ I was just standing there and got emotional and teary-eyed. I didn’t want to cry but the feeling just came over me. This is supposed to be a comedy that makes you laugh. A film like this should not make someone feel this way. Nothing has changed. We are still just Hollywood Indians.”
Good for them for not standing for such ignorance and disrespect and shame on Adam Sandler and everyone involved in the making of the film. Let’s all play our part by vowing not to see this train wreck of a movie.