3. The Johnny Depp Controversy
Oh my God! Disney have cast Johnny Depp as Tonto in their reimagining of The Lone Ranger story! How controversial! How ... racist! How could they?! These are genuinely some of the things people said online when the announcement was made to cast the man better known as Captain Jack Sparrow in the role of Tonto - the one time sidekick of The Lone Ranger who has now been elevated to the position of 'Spiritual Warrior' instead. When The Lone Ranger first appeared on the radio the character of Tonto was in fact voiced by an English actor putting on a very stereotypical 'Injun' dialect. Then when the TV series kicked in the role was given to genuine Native American Jay Silverheels, a member of the Six Nations Indian Reservation in Ontario, Canada. But the fact that a genuine full-blooded Indian was cast rather than a white actor made to look like an Indian - which was the norm for most western movies - was actually far more unusual than casting the former Edward Scissorhands in the role. Depp responded to the claims that he shouldn't play Tonto by stating he himself has links to the Cherokee tribe although he cannot say for sure how much of his heritage is actually linked to the tribe.
"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." - Johnny Depp