Johnny Depp's portrayal of a Comanche Indian
Johnny Depp played the character of Tonto in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. The character of Tonto is an Indian of the Comanche tribe, and Depp wanted to portray this as accurately as possible, to respect the Comanche tribe and break away from the culture of stereotyping Native Americans in cinema.
Before the film was even released, there was a lot of controversy around the casting of a non-native american to play a native american role, but upon release, Depp's portrayal was praised, even by the Comanche themselves.
Before the film was even released, there was a lot of controversy around the casting of a non-native american to play a native american role, but upon release, Depp's portrayal was praised, even by the Comanche themselves.
“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,” he says. “In some instances [at screenings], it was only the Comanches that laughed, because we could relate to it.”-Wallace Coffey, chairman for the Comanche tribe, source
Depp also spent a lot of time living with the Comanche in order to fully understand their culture in order to play the role of Tonto more accurately. He was even made an honourary member of the Comanche nation. His role has been praised for being appropriately spiritual, as a real member of the tribe would be.
His character is not shown as the aggressive, savage type that native Americans were shown as in much older cinema. He and the Comanche are shown as being misunderstood, manipulated and with good intentions in the film. The narrative of the film is even told from the perspective of Tonto, who is somehow still alive 100 years later in a museum exhibit, which shows him as the stereotypical Indian tribesman, wielding a tomahawk and stood in front of a Teepee, with the exhibit being labeled 'The Noble Savage'. Tonto tells the story how things really were, and how his people really were, showing that the person seen at first glance in the museum is very misunderstood and inaccurate, perhaps reflecting how most people's perception of Native American culture in general today are equally as wrong, with some people believing them to be a savage people of only one tribe.
I think that Depp has brought the true face of Native American culture to the forefront of the media with this role, with the lengths he went to to portray it accurately showing and encouraging that the Native American people are misunderstood. The film also shows the more accurately spiritual side of the Indians, with their beliefs governing their life and their spirituality giving them a unique cultural identity.
Depp also spent a lot of time living with the Comanche in order to fully understand their culture in order to play the role of Tonto more accurately. He was even made an honourary member of the Comanche nation. His role has been praised for being appropriately spiritual, as a real member of the tribe would be.
His character is not shown as the aggressive, savage type that native Americans were shown as in much older cinema. He and the Comanche are shown as being misunderstood, manipulated and with good intentions in the film. The narrative of the film is even told from the perspective of Tonto, who is somehow still alive 100 years later in a museum exhibit, which shows him as the stereotypical Indian tribesman, wielding a tomahawk and stood in front of a Teepee, with the exhibit being labeled 'The Noble Savage'. Tonto tells the story how things really were, and how his people really were, showing that the person seen at first glance in the museum is very misunderstood and inaccurate, perhaps reflecting how most people's perception of Native American culture in general today are equally as wrong, with some people believing them to be a savage people of only one tribe.
I think that Depp has brought the true face of Native American culture to the forefront of the media with this role, with the lengths he went to to portray it accurately showing and encouraging that the Native American people are misunderstood. The film also shows the more accurately spiritual side of the Indians, with their beliefs governing their life and their spirituality giving them a unique cultural identity.
I feel that more media, not just films, should strive to achieve such levels of accuracy. The fact that Depp spent so long living with the Comanche in order to understand them better is a prime example of how we can learn from Native American culture.
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