Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the Lone Ranger has garnered the actor both criticism and praise from the Native American community. Some high-ranking members of the community are accusing the actor of being racist.
Depp has generated a lot of buzz since he announced in 2011 that he wanted to adapt the classic radio play into a movie. It wasn’t his decision to revamp the series that drew people’s attention, it was his choice to play Tonto that had many shaking their heads.
TIME Magazine spoke to a few representatives of the Native American community, to gauge some perspective on the issue. What they found was a split in ideology.
The publication first spoke to Comanche Chairman Wallace Coffey. Mr Coffey seemed very pleased with Depp’s portrayal of Tonto, telling the magazine:
“I think it was a very realistic portrayal of a Native American. It’s got drama and it’s got a lot of comedy; it fits right in with Comanche culture because we are well-known as a humorous people. In some instances [at screenings], it was only the Comanches that laughed, because we could relate to it.”
Coffey was particularly pleased with Depp’s performance, as the star reached out to the Comanche community before filming the movie. Mr. Depp, as he is known to do, wanted to thoroughly research the background of his character.
Unfortunately, not everyone is in Chairman Coffey’s camp. One notable dissenter is Adrienne Keen, a revered Native American blogger. Her reception of Depp’s portrayal was significantly less favorable:
“Before the initial photo [of Depp in character] even came out, there had been some discussion about the film and quotes from Johnny Depp saying that he wanted to use the film as an outlet to reimagine what the Hollywood Indian could look like. I was holding out some hope that maybe it was going to be okay. You guys, I’m pissed off. Like for real. I had a teensy-tiny bit of hope that this wouldn’t be another othering-stereotype-filled-horror, but clearly I was so wrong.”
What do you think about Johnny Depp? Was the actor racist in his portrayal of Tonto or was he sensitive to the Native American people. Let us know in the comment field below.
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