Hollywood star Marlon Brando turned down the Oscar for Best Actor at the 45th Academy Awards through Sacheen Littlefeather. However, the move was not very much appreciated by John Wayne. The actor even attempted to attack the Native American actress. He was so enraged that it took multiple security guards to stop him from attacking Littlefeather. Not just that, he even called out The Godfather star for letting the Native American civil rights activist present him on stage at the 1973 Oscars.
John Wayne Claimed Marlon Brando Should Have Taken the Stage Himself
Marlon Brando rejected his Oscar at the 1973 Academy Awards in a protest against the representation of Native Americans in the film industry. Actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather took the stage to make a statement on his behalf and her speech was met with both boos and cheers.
However, some people, including John Wayne, questioned the move. The legendary Hollywood star later stated that if Brando wanted to reject the award and take a stand for Native Americans, he should have done it himself. John Wayne said, as per Entertainment Weekly,
“If [Brando] had something to say, he should have appeared that night and stated his views instead of taking some little unknown girl and dressing her up in an Indian outfit.”
Littlefeather later recalled in an interview that Wayne did not like what she had to say on stage and “came forth in a rage to physically assault and take [her] off the stage.” Nearly half a century later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized to Littlefeathet for her mistreatment at the 45th Academy Awards ceremony.
Academy Apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather
Sacheen Littlefeather got a mixed reaction during her short speech at the Oscars. The actress shared that she “stood there alone,” where people were giving her a “tomahawk chop” and she was booed by many in one of the historic moments for the Oscars.
In 2022, the Academy apologized to the actress for the way she was treated during the award ceremony. “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” the apology letter stated, offering the Academy’s deepest apologies and admiration.
The actress shared that she never hoped to get an apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “I was stunned. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview.
