Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImageLooks like Adam Sandler's latest comedy Ridiculous 6 has already stirred up some controversy.
A Netflix spokesperson has issued a statement with regards to the comedic content of the film after approximately a dozen Native American actors reportedly walked off the set on Wednesday, saying they were "offended" by the flick's stereotypical subject matter.
"The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it is ridiculous. 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," the company spokesperson said.
Indian Country Today reports that the actors, who were primarily from the Navajo nation, abruptly exited the production, claiming the film grossly misrepresents Apache culture and the jokes insult elders and women.
"I was asked a long time ago to do some work on this and I wasn't down for it," actor Loren Anthony told ICTMN. "Then they told me it was going to be a comedy, but it would not be racist. So I agreed to it, but on Monday things started getting weird on the set."
While Anthony said that he understands the film is meant to be satirical, he believes some of the jokes were taken too far. "We were supposed to be Apache, but it was really stereotypical and we did not look Apache at all. We looked more like Comanche," he said. "One thing that really offended a lot of people was that there was a female character called Beaver's Breath. One character says, 'Hey, Beaver's Breath.' And the Native woman says, 'How did you know my name?'"
He added: "They just treated us as if we should just be on the side. When we did speak with the main director, he was trying to say the disrespect was not intentional and this was a comedy."
Ridiculous 6 marks Sandler's first Netflix comedy. Directed by Frank Coraci, the film is being produced by Happy Madison Productions and also stars Taylor Lautner, Rob Schneider and Jorge Garcia; it does not yet have a release date.