Three months after Native American extras stormed off the setof Adam Sandlers The Ridiculous 6 over what they considered culturally offensive humor, the actor has commented on the controversy. At the red carpet premiere for Sandlers new movie Pixels,hewas asked about the incident and whether the Western comedy stereotyped Native American culture. It was just a misunderstanding and once the movie is out, it will be cleared up, Sandler told The Associated Press.
I talked to some of the actors on the set who were there and let them know that the intention of the movie is 100 percent to just make a funny movie, Sandler added (via Screen Crush). Its really about American Indians being good to my character and about their family and just being good people. Theres no mocking of American Indians at all in the movie. Its a pro-Indian movie. So hopefully when people see it whoever was offended on set and walked out, I hope they realize that, and thats it. It was kinda taken out of context.
In April, roughly a dozen Native American extras leftthe Ridiculous 6 set, citing a script that perpetuated stereotypeslike the drunk Indian. In one scene, a female character named Wears No Bra is shown urinating while smoking a peace pipe. In another sequence, Sandlers character asks a Native American woman, How bout after this, we go someplace and I put my peepee in your teepee?
Native American Actors Walk Off Adam Sandler Set in ProtestFlashback: See Keith Urban's Dazzling Thanksgiving NFL Halftime ShowJeff Buckley's 'Grace': 10 Things You Didn't Know
However, while a dozen extras ditched the production, that represented a small fraction of the hundreds of Native Americans recruited for the film, many of whom defendedRidiculous 6 following the controversy. Its a comedy, not a documentary, said actor Bonifacio Gurule, while another extra said many cultures, not just Native Americans, were being skewered in the Western.
The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason because it is ridiculous, a Netflix spokesperson 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.
Even Vanilla Ice, who portrays author Mark Twain in the comedy, stood by the film. I dont think anybody really had any ill feeling or any intent or anything. This movie isnt Dances With Wolves. Theyre not there to showcase anything about anybody theyre just making a funny movie, I think, said the rapper, who is part Choctaw.
Joining Vanilla Ice in the eclecticcast areWill Forte, Blake Shelton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, Terry Crews, Luke Wilson, David Spade, Taylor Lautner, Nick Nolte, Whitney Cummings and Rob Schneider.The Ridiculous 6, a play on the classic Western The Magnificent Seven, will premiere on Netflix on December 11th. The comedy is the first in an exclusive four-film dealSandlers Happy Madison Productionsinked with Netflix in October 2014.