Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials co-star Dylan O’Brien might have thought his played-out joke about Native American burial curses would provoke laughs during a recent appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael, but a possible PR migraine for 20th Century Fox resulted instead, after O’Brien’s admission that he and other cast members looted Pueblo artifacts while filming scenes for the movie in New Mexico last year. Now a Care2 petition is demanding an apology from the cast and crew, as well as the return of anything stolen.
The shoot, which took place in and around Albuquerque included a Pueblo burial site on which the cast was given strict instructions not to take anything — instructions, O’Brien said, that were ignored. “They gave us this big speech when we got there to shoot, and they said, ‘Don’t take anything. Respect the grounds.’ They were very strict about littering and don’t take any artifacts like rocks, skulls — anything like that,” he said. “And everyone just takes stuff, you know, obviously.”
O’Brien went on to joke about how some of those who took items becoming ill might have been the result of a curse.
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In response, fan Maeve Cunningham started the petition, which reads:
“In a disturbing interview on Live with Kelly & Michael, Dylan O’Brien admits that cast members of his film “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” ignored instructions about filming on a Native American site and stole ancient Pueblo artifacts from a filming location outside Albuquerque.
The Native Americans from that area, the Pueblo people, have spoken out, angered and disrespected.
While O’Brien plays it for laughs, talking about bringing a Native American curse on the cast, his flip treatment of the crew’s actions is outrageous. O’Brien, the film’s director, and other crew members involved need to apologize to Pueblo tribal leaders for their behavior and return any artifacts they removed from the site.”
Cunningham told Care2 that “hearing someone who you have a lot of respect for completely disregard someone else’s culture and basic human rights in such a disrespecting manner was just this big letdown for me. I think if the cast and crew came out and apologized and returned whatever they took from the site, it would be a huge step forward in helping Native Americans get the respect they deserve and really need in this country.”
As of this writing, the petition has received 23,777 signatures. The production has not issued a statement thus far.
The full interview can be seen here:
Very, very disappointing. I’m not sure I can bring myself to go to The Scorch Trials if they don’t apologize and return the artifacts.
You’d better hurry up and not bring yourself to go pretty soon while you have the chance — the movie has been out for 3 weeks
Please. If you hadn’t seen it in theaters already, you weren’t going to.
As a production manager on 23 major productions, if ANY of this is true, it’s extremely disappointing on many levels.
First, it sets such a bad example that because it’s not sacred to you and because everyone else “does it” it’s okay to ignore the site’s history and people and turn it into a joke/prank, etc. I’m sure Mr. O’Brien would not be so casual about this if it was involving a sacred Irish site and artifacts.
Second, it makes it very difficult for the industry to be taken as serious and responsible whenever we want to access sensitive sites such as this. I cannot begin to detail how many times landowners have said “No” due to the perceived attitude that cast and crews will not respect their property and create damage or incur loss.
This kind of story adds to those headaches 100 fold!
A public correction or apology will go a long way to help future productions who may want to film in this area and for the industry as a whole.
Mr. O’Brien is from New York; why would he care any more about Irish archaeological sites than he apparently does about American ones?
Such a relief when your Daily Outrage happens early in the morning! That way you can be offended, sign a petition, tweet and then get on with the rest of your day!
LMAO!!!
This is total bullshit, listen to the interview carefully. Maeve Cunningham is just a massive attention seeker aiming only to make a big deal out of something, they don’t even need to apologize for. First off Dylan never talked about this in a flippant manner, by the tone of his voice this sounds like something that happened ages ago and has already been resolved, why would Dylan even be telling this to the public if it wasn’t already resolved? He never played this for laughs, the blonde interviewer just made a joke out of it, he wasn’t racist or offensive, he just said he found it crazy how they got ill a week later after touching these artifacts. You can tell he knew it was wrong to do and is just telling the story as it is, we always find the humorous side in any mistake we make, that’s just human nature. Seriously did Maeve Cunningham even listen to the interview? I hope that they don’t have to apologize because this is just ridiculously stupid.
He was asked why so many cast members were getting sick on set and he made a joke, referring to the old trope about cursed artifacts. Unless there’s some actual proof, I’m going to have to assume they didn’t actually steal anything, because that would be stupid to admit in an interview. This petition and article is more about people who love to get outraged over bullcrap.
But he literally said “And everyone just takes stuff, you know, obviously” after telling the interviewer that they were told not to out of respect. He admitted to taking things.
I think he admitted to have taken those things in the interview because he sees nothing wrong with it. For him and the cast it was just like taking rocks from anywhere else. He doesn’t seem to understand that it was disrespectful to grab something from a sacred ground.
What a bunch of smarmy creeps – this really makes me hate Dylan O’Brien. I’m with crews on location & trying to keep the peace with the public, homeowners and others. Then these a**holes go and ruin it for the rest of us. Yes, Dylan, you and your buddies reflect the Worst side of our industry. I hope you move on to another business.
How ridiculous! This happened over a year ago and it’s already been proven that they stole NOTHING! Also, how dare any fan think he/she is entitled to an apology. I bet the cast has already apologised for acting like immature frat boys, they don’t need to apologise to anyone else. Over-reacting outcries like this are the reason why the internet is nothing but a influx of pure drivel and hate.
This kid’s an idiot. Sounds like he’s ripe for a lawsuit…
This thing is ridiculous. It’s not like there would be artifacts lying around for the taking. There would also be a tribal representative there for supervision. NAGPRA is extremely conscientious in enforcing their laws to protect American Indian rights and the notion that these people could roam free in a sacred place is silly. This appears to be a feeble attempt by this actor to tell a silly story, nothing more, nothing less.
Couple of things:
Sites like pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico have been in use over such an extended period of time, and exist in areas there deposition and the formation of soil is practically non-existent, so that in many areas cultural artifacts literally carpet the ground. Hence looting is both too easy and a major problem.
NAGPRA is a federal law that relates directly to Native American burials and funerary items found solely on Federal Land. Likewise other laws offering protection to cultural resources (ARPA for example) also apply to federal land. This news story does not explain if the site in question is on private, tribal or federal property, and I am not familiar with any state law that may relate to cultural resources; however if this shoot was located on private property then no federal laws apply.
NAGPRA relates to Federal AND Tribal land. It’s unlikely that a sacred burial ground would be located on private land, especially since no one had been allowed to film there. I live in the area and there has been no local news about an incident like this. The American Indian community in this area is extremely litigious about acts of this nature. I know of a local artifacts dealer that served time for OFFERING to sell an illegal artifact. I’m active in various pueblos, Acoma, Santo Domingo, Taos, and there is no where that artifacts litter the ground. The story is bogus.
If actors need writers handling their daily lives too.
Problems occur when they make up the words that come out of their mouths by themselves.
Apology? No, they should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!
The strangest part is when Cunningham refers to O’Brien as someone she has a lot of respect for.
I think it requires more than an apology. They committed a criminal act, prosecute them and jail the perps. Better yet, do what is done to black kids around the country on a mere suspicion.