Native American extras storm off set of new Adam Sandler film over racist jokes that called woman 'Badger Breath' and made fun of their culture
- A dozen Native American extras and the cultural adviser walked off the set of Adam Sandler's new movie on Wednesday
- The film, The Ridiculous 6, is a spoof of The Magnificent Seven that is being made for Netflix
- One extra who walked off claims that the production crew and director ignored their complaints about offensive jokes
- This included inaccurate costumes and referring to one woman as 'Beaver's Breath'
- The film also stars Nick Nolte, Steve Buscemi, Blake Shelton and Taylor Lautner, who has previously said he has distant Native American ancestry
- Netflix said in a statement; 'It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of - but in on - the joke'
The new Adam Sandler film ran into a huge problem on Wednesday when a group of extras stormed off the set.
Native American actors appearing in The Ridiculous 6, a spoof of The Magnificent Seven that stars and was written by Sandler, left the set after they became offended by the script's jokes about their race and culture.
It was so bad in fact that even the cultural adviser for the movie, which is filming in New Mexico, walked off the set.
Scroll down for video
A dozen Native American extras and the cultural adviser walked off the set of Adam Sandler's (seated above in wig) new movie The Ridiculous 6 on Wednesday
The film stars Sandler (left), Taylor Lautner (right), Nick Nolte and Steve Buscemi
Loren Anthony (above with Nick Nolte in the background) was one of the extras who walked off set
Indian Country Today Media Network spoke to one of the actors who walked off, Navajo Nation tribal member Loren Anthony, about his issues with the script.
'I was asked a long time ago to do some work on this and I wasn't down for it. Then they told me it was going to be a comedy, but it would not be racist,' said Anthony.
'So I agreed to it but on Monday things started getting weird on the set.'
Among the many problems he cited were the costumes that were being used, the way the hair was being styled, and the film's treatment of women.
'We were supposed to be Apache, but it was really stereotypical and we did not look Apache at all. We looked more like Comanche,' he explained.
'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?'"
In another scene, an Apache woman is seen squatting and urinating while smoking a pipe.
As for the dress, the Apache do not wear their hair in braids or chokers while that is common for Comache.
Anthony (on right with actor Saginaw Grant) said the film was offensive towards Native American women
Vanilla Ice (above as Mark Twain) with Sandler in the background in red bandanna were back to filming oin Thursday
Anthony said that though the film is about the Apache (traditionl dress on left) extras were dressed more like Comanche (traditional dress on right), with braids and chokers
Making matters worse says Anthony is that no one felt like they were being listened to by the production team.
'They just treated us as if we should just be on the side,' said Anthony.
'When we did speak with the main director, he was trying to say the disrespect was not intentional and this was a comedy.'
The cultural adviser meanwhile asked to speak to Sandler according to one extra, but was refused, and when that extra, Goldie Tom, later complained, she was told; 'It's in the script and we are not going to change it.'
Tom later said on her Facebook; 'I've had some time to sit and think about everything that's been going on, on the set of this movie The Ridiculous Six.
'Something just didn't feel right, I had a heavy heart while being on set but still tried to make the best of it. But after finding out what was in the script and what some of the movie scences portrayed, a group of us left the set upset and with our hearts pounding due to the disrespect of our Native people.
'It's been an emotional and upsetting time since we left the set but we have stood up for what we think is right and we are going to stand by our decision. Still and always will represent OUR PEOPLE!!!'
The film's director Frank Coraci (above) with Sandler on the set
Blake Shelton (above with Whitney Cummings) has a small role in the film
Sandler and his production company Happy Madison have yet to comment, though Netflix, who is producing the movie, did release a statement.
'The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it is ridiculous,' they said.
'It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of - but in on - the joke.'
That cast includes Taylor Lautner, Nick Nolte, Blake Shelton, David Spade and Steve Buscemi, among others.
Lautner has said before that he has distant Native American ancestry on his mother's side, specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi.
Producer Heather Parry (second from right) shared this photo from set earlier this month with David vSpade, Cummings and Lautner
Steve Buscemi also has a role in the film (above with director Coraci)
Other stars in the film include Lavell Crawford (top left), Steve Zahn (top right), Nick Swardson (middle right), Will Forte (bottom left), and Paul Sado (bottom right)
David Hill, a 74-year-old Choctaw , did not seem to feel like he was in on the joke as he too left the set.
'They were being disrespectful,' he said.
'They were bringing up those same old arguments that Dan Snyder uses in defending the Redskins. But let me tell you, our dignity is not for sale. It is a real shame because a lot of people probably stay because they need a job.'
He then added; 'We understand this is a comedy, we understand this is humor, but we won’t tolerate disrespect. I told the director if he had talked to a native woman the way they were talked to in this movie - I said I would knock his ass out.'
'When I began doing this film, I had an uneasy feeling inside of me and I felt so conflicted,' said Allison Young, a Navajo who studied film at Dartmouth.
'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.'
Filming also went on Wednesday after the extras walked off, with Coraci even posting a selfie of himself in front of the teepees (above) the Native American extras found so offensive
Young then explained that, just as Anthony said, talking about her concerns with the production team did not work.
'They just told us, "If you guys are so sensitive, you should leave,'" she said.
'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.'
Despite this, filming seemed to continue on Thursday, with Vanilla Ice, who plays Mark Twain in the film, posting a photo with Sandler in the background.
Filming also went on Wednesday after the extras walked off, with director Frank Coraci even posting a selfie of himself in front of the teepees the Native American extras found so offensive.
And not all the Native Americans on the set had issues with the script, with Ricardo Caté, a Kewa Pueblo native who also draws satirical cartoons, telling the Sante Fe New Mexican; 'There's nothing worse [in the script] than anything in my cartoons. If anything racial or racist happened I would have walked off. The shoot has been fine, everybody has been happy.'
- Native Actors Walk off Set of Adam Sandler Movie After Insults to Women, Elders - ICTMN.com
- Adam Sandler Movie -- Native American Actors Walk Off ... Netflix Says They're Missing the Joke | TMZ.com
- [Updated] Adam Sandler film angers Native American actors, who walk off set - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Local News
- Russian army's rocket launch test goes terribly wrong
- Nurse yelps with joy as previously paralysed girl stands up
- Touching moment 102-year-old Alice Barker sees herself on...
- 'Not heroes, just tourists': Swedish cops stop subway...
- Kim Richards leaves hotel after explosive Dr Phil interview
- Pimple porn: Dermatologist becomes viral YouTube star
- Dramatic moment Alondra Luna Nunez is torn away from family
- How does my story end?: Bruce Jenner ponders the future
- Amy Schumer flashes her surfing scar on Letterman
- The moment comedienne Amy Schumer falls in front of Kimye
- Can you spot the ghost at Disneyland on CCTV? (related)
- Vampire girl spreads terror through victims veins in online...
- Child star of Everybody Loves Raymond commits suicide at 19:...
- Bride and ghoul: Ghostly figure photo bombs wedding...
- Treat a lady like a wh**e, and a wh**e like a lady': David...
- A hug from the executioner... then two gay men are stoned to...
- The female SS Auschwitz guard who trained Alsatian to bite...
- The horrifying moment 14-year-old girl was torn away from...
- Trial hears how Boston victim Martin Richard, 8, suffered...
- Is this the worst son in the world? Grinning teen uses...
- Terror in the air as passengers start to pass-out on...
- Four Swedish cops on vacation in New York answer the call of...
- Great, five more mouths to feed! Cow in India gives birth to...
- Five nursing students killed in fiery Georgia interstate...