10 Most Awkward Instances Of Hollywood Whitewashing

3. Johnny Depp - Tonto - The Lone Ranger

Despite Johnny Depp's insisting that he's part Native American - Cherokee, in fact - and therefore well in his right to pay the character of Tonto on the big screen (a "fact" that has never been verified, by the way), his casting as the character in Disney's blockbuster reboot of The Lone Ranger irked a lot of people - and for good reason. The character of Tonto has always been seen by real Native Americans as patronising and racist; Gore Verbinski's film had the opportunity to reinterpret Tonto and put things right, of course, but instead the director - or Disney, to be more precise - decided that what the role really needed was Depp wearing a hat and doing another one of his funny voices. You don't get the sense that Depp intended any harm in taking on Tonto, but that doesn't mean that it still doesn't come over as kind of offensive and a bit embarrassing to watch. Whether the actor is part Native American or not (and there is no proof as to whether he is), this remains a prominent example of Hollywood whitewashing.