The Academy has apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather after an incident at the 1973 Oscars, which happened nearly 50 years ago. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 75-year-old Native American actress has been invited to an evening of reflection at the Academy Museum… and has been offered an official apology.
“I was stunned,” she said. “I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this. When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone.”
The 1973 Oscars saw Littlefeather, then 26 years old, take to the stage in order to decline the award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando.
What she experienced that night included boos, mock ululations, and offensive gestures off-stage. She was threatened with arrest and even physical assault.
Now, the Academy has decided to set things right.
“[Brando] very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” said Littlefeather in an improvised speech that night. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry [the audience begins to boo] — excuse me — and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
She was given two instructions – the first, from Brando, not to touch the statuette.
The second, from Oscars producer Howard Koch, to not run over 60 seconds in her speech, or she would be arrested by security he ensured were on hand.
And following her 60-second plea for justice, she was booed, jeered, and even threatened by John Wayne, who she claims had to be restrained to stop him from storming the stage to assault her.
“The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” said then-Academy president David Rubin in a letter to Littlefoot in June. “The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
Following the incident, Littlefeather became renowned as a Native American civil rights activist and co-founded the American Indian Registry for Performing Arts.
“You know, I never stood up onstage in 1973 for any kind of accolades,” she said. “I only stood there because my ancestors were with me, and I spoke the truth.”
“Yes, there’s an apology that’s due,” she added. “As my friends in the Native community said, it’s long overdue. I could have been dead by now. All of my friends — [activists] Dennis Banks, Russell Means, John Trudell, [comedian] Charlie Hill — are gone.”
Still, the activist is enthused by the influx of representation we’ve seen of late – notably the likes of Reservation Dogs and War Pony.
“At long last, somebody is breaking down the doors,” she said. “And I’m so very happy this is happening — even though I don’t swear like they do on Reservation Dogs.”
An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather will be free to the public via online booking on September 17, 2022.
Thumbnail image credit: Bettmann / Getty Images
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather Nearly 50 Years After Infamous Oscars Incident & Latest News Update
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