THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Set Visit Preview and 4 Awesome New Posters!
Red-Band Trailer for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Is the Best One Yet
2 New TV Spots for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Shows New Footage of Bane, Batman, Alfred, Catwoman and the Bat-Wing
Fan-Made Trailer for EXPENDABLES 2 is Not Approved for People Who Hate America and Fun
7 New Images from THE DARK KNIGHT RISESJohnny Depp Says THE LONE RANGER Will Reinvent the Role of Tonto
by Matt Goldberg Posted:May 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am
|
|
 |
|
When it was reported that Johnny Depp would be playing Tonto in the adaptation of The Lone Ranger, some were left wondering why an actor of Depp’s stature would take the sidekick role. The answer: he wouldn’t. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp expresses bewilderment that Tonto would take orders from The Lone Ranger:
“I remember watching [the 1949-1957 TV series in reruns] as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: ‘Why is the f—ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?’”
Apparently Johnny Depp was a foul-mouthed kid. Hit the jump for what he and director Gore Verbinski (Rango) are planning for the film adaptation.
Depp tells EW:
“I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That’s stuck with me. And when the idea came up [for the movie], I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to — ‘eliminate’ isn’t possible — but reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans, not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema, and turn it on its head.”
And if you’re wondering, “Wait. Isn’t Depp a white guy? Won’t this be redface?”, Depp is part-Indian (or so he was told growing up):
“I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line. My great grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek.”
The Lone Ranger is set to hit theaters some time next year.
Please Like Collider on Facebook
|
|
|
|
Related Links
- First Image of Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in THE LONE RANGER
- Production Begins on THE LONE RANGER Starring Johnny Depp; First Synopsis Revealed
- Gore Verbinski Provides Updates on THE LONE RANGER, SPACELESS, CLUE, and More
- Tom Wilkinson and Ruth Wilson Return to THE LONE RANGER; Movie Trying to Reassemble Supporting Cast
- Producer Jerry Bruckheimer Talks THE LONE RANGER Budget Negotiations; Plus Brief Update on PIRATES 5
Depp has sold out. gone are the days when he was giving performances that are weird, but at the same time captivating. now it’s just weird.
I bet it’s going to be a “buddy cop” type, but with cowboys and indians.
Can I just ask why someone would want to make a theatrical version from source material that they didn’t much care for? Like it or not Tonto WAS the sidekick. To me it makes more sense to do something different than try and make something already established fit a particular mold. At least it seems a little bit more artistically credible to do so, IMHO.
I think it makes sense if you’re trying to comment on what that source material represents and switch it around. Since there’s already this established iconography of racist imagery in Hollywood (be it against Native Americans, African Americans, etc.), taking a property like the Lone Ranger, which has that kind of imagery in it but NOT to the extent that something like Birth of a Nation did, it makes it easier to comment on without getting high-handed about it. You can say something meaningful while still being a fun movie.
That being said, most remakes/reboots don’t have such goals in mind and usually turn out to be… disappointing, to say the least. Who knows? Depp and Gore Verbinski did something really interesting and unusual with the western genre in Rango, so maybe they can do the same here.
yet another movie where they try to retcon human history. White Americans treated Native Americans like shit. Revolutionaries had slaves, I’m looking at you Benjamin Marten in the Patriot. Not all Union soldiers or people in the Union were doing what they were doing to free black slaves. Not saying that it was good thing by far, in fact the opposite, but just saying.
The dumbest part about all this is that they had to cast a White guy as Tonto.
Tonto may have been a sidekick, but he was a lot more of an equal than most. After all, without Tonto, there is no Lone Ranger. Taking Tonto to the next level isn’t much of a stretch. This could be a lot of fun.
I hope this will end up something like what happened with the Sancho Panza movie, where after all the financing etc got in place, Depp stepped aside, saying the role should be played by a native Spanish-speaking actor. At least I’m REALLY hoping will happen – please don’t make The Long Ranger movie, Johnny. And get as far away as possible from Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer (especially).
By all means, let’s show all those Native American actors what for and eliminate what limited roles there are for them and give it to white actors instead.
Thanks for helping those guys out, Mr. Depp…that’ll make all those years of injustice almost….well, justified.
I always remembered the Lone Ranger and Tonto as a relationship that signified the antithesis of Cowboys and Indians. It allowed me to root for the Indian…and yet, now (thanks to Johnny) I’m supposed to look back at those times as counter-productive to Indian rights. Sure, the character was a little typecast…but so are superheroes with capes and spandex–otherwise they wouldn’t be characters.
Good grief, that’s hilarious! “Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek.”
Man, why didn’t I think of that! Next time I see a role written for a Black or Chinese guy, I’ll snatch it up and shrug “I think I am Black. Or Chinese. ‘Cause there were a lot of those guys running around where I came from…”
If the protest groups don’t get their knickers in a twist over this one like they did THE LAST AIRBENDER, then I’m calling Shenanigans on their hypocritical asses.
I haven’t met a white person yet that didn’t claim to be “a little Native American”. usually 1/16 Cherokee. Those Cherokee really got around.