Native American actors walk off Adam Sandler set over 'offensive' stereotyping
Adam Sandler's comedy/western The Ridiculous Six — an upcoming, Netflix-exclusive spoof of The Magnificent Seven — just lost a huge part of its supporting cast. According to Indian Country Today, "approximately a dozen" Native actors, as well as the Native cultural advisor, walked off the set of The Ridiculous Six after complaints that the film's Native characters were stereotypical and insulting were ignored by the film's creative team.
The list of complaints included fundamental inaccuracies about Apache culture, characters with names like No Bra and Beaver's Breath, and a scene in which a female character urinated while smoking a peace pipe.
Indian Country Today interviewed several of the Native actors who walked off the set, who said that producers responded to their complaints by insisting that the script would not be altered. "Nothing has changed,” said Navajo actress Allison Young. “We are still just Hollywood Indians."
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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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