Last week, a group of Native American actors walked off the set of Adam Sandler’s Ridiculous 6 in protest of jokes they felt were offensive to Native American culture. As we noted the other day, most of the so-called “jokes” cited — such as the naming of characters like “Wears No Bra” and “Beaver’s Breath” — were anything but funny.
A new video has surfaced showing the moments right before actors finally decided that enough was enough. The clip, obtained by Albuquerque’s KOAT 7, shows the actors expressing their concerns to the film’s producers — only to be repeatedly rebuked and shut down:
“We don’t want to sell out our people,” one of the actors said.
The producer replied, saying, “If you are overly sensitive about it, then you should probably leave.”
The actors then asked the producer if they would change the names of the women. The producer simply replied, “No.”
Seemingly left with no other options, they took the producer’s advice and promptly left.
Still, those cast members who stormed off represent only a small fraction of those on set. As KOAT 7 points out, a majority of actors stayed behind well after the heated confrontation. They have since come to the defense of Ridiculous 6.
“It’s a comedy, not a documentary,” said movie extra Bonifacio Gurule. “You know three young native women, they have nicknames for each other and that’s where ‘Beaver’s Breath’ comes from.” He suggested that those protesting should simply “lighten up.”
Another extra named Carma Harvey explained that Sandler’s film wasn’t targeting Native American culture, specifically, saying that it ridiculed other cultures, too. Vanilla Ice, who co-stars in the movie, has also shown his support for the project, despite claiming to be part Choctaw.
(Via KOAT 7)
