When four of Adam Sandler’s actors stormed off set: “It’s bullying on another level”
Almost everyone who’s ever worked with Adam Sandler has praised the actor and producer for running some of the most harmonious sets in Hollywood, but rules always tend to have exceptions.
For the most part, Happy Madison really is one big happy family. Sandler is still working with people he’s known since his college days, while the likes of David Spade, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, and Steve Buscemi have been part of his inner circle for decades, with more names constantly being added.
However, it shouldn’t be a surprise that when Sandler ran the risk of upsetting indigenous people, that’s exactly what he did. Once he decided that his bespoke brand of big-screen comedy was better suited to Netflix, which has so far yielded 15 films from Happy Madison with plenty more on the way, he introduced himself to streaming by delivering what may very well be the worst movie of his entire career.
Sandler has made more shitty flicks than the average A-lister, but The Ridiculous 6 was something else entirely. Playing to the lowest common denominator and gathering together plenty of his regulars, the creative freedom afforded by Netflix seemed to convince everyone involved that putting in any effort wasn’t a concern, leading to a horrible picture that only appealed to the Sandman’s diehards.
The troupe turning its attention to a period-set western caper felt destined to devolve into bad taste, and things reached a point on set where multiple background actors walked out in protest after voicing their concerns over how The Ridiculous 6 was treating their culture, women, and beliefs.
“It’s bullying on another level,” Loren Anthony told KRQE. “I didn’t feel like it was right, so it compelled me, you know, to stand up and say something about it.” Even though there was a cultural advisor on set, Goldie Tom felt misled after “they made it sound like the Native Americans were going to be respected,” which they didn’t think they were.
Understandably, they had concerns with the film calling indigenous characters things like ‘Beaver’s Breath’ and ‘Wears No Bra’, which Anthony called “degrading to women.” When they brought their concerns to the producers, Allison Young revealed that they were simply told, “If you guys are so sensitive, you should leave,” which is exactly what they did.
Ricky Lee, another Native American actor who was present on set, offered a different side of the story. “There were four actors who left, but there were 150 extras, including grandmas and grandpas and children, who kept working,” he explained. “Believe me, if everyone was really offended, there would be a much bigger uproar.”
He even revealed that before the wrap party, Sandler “sat down, discussing all the hype about the walkouts, and the last thing that he said before he got up was that the thing that made him feel the worst is that four people got their feelings hurt,” which does show a degree of remorse for how things went down on The Ridiculous 6.
