By Christina Radish
Chaske: Whatever puts the ladies in seats for the tickets!
Bronson: That's right!
Alex: We've been telling guys, "Watch the film because your girlfriends will be watching it."
Chaske: The thing is, though, there's action in New Moon, so girls can bring their boyfriends. I think they'll really like it.
Alex: They don't have a choice. Their girlfriends are going to be there. But, it wasn't awkward. By the time we started filming, we had already been working out shirtless. It's like a costume. It really is. You wear it. You don it and you own it. You can't be intimidated about your body. That's not the time to be doing that, when that little red light is blinking and you're being filmed.
Chaske: It also helped us get into character, as well.
Bronson: As soon as I got out there with my shorts and no shirt on, I felt the part.
Alex: As soon as I got the bronzing on, I felt it.
Bronson: The bronzing always ended up on my socks.
Chaske: That stuff is hard to wash off, too.
Alex: I think they put motor oil on us. It's all brown and copper. The shower looked like someone murdered a man.
And the moviemakers have "bronzed" their skins too. In other words, these Indians are your stereotypical dark, menacing, half-naked savages. All they need is a few feathers and they could fit into any racist epic of the last 200 years.
I mean...bronzing, really? Because real Indians don't look enough like stereotypical Indians for the Twilight crew? I'd love to hear their justification for putting Native actors in "redface." "They just didn't look right...we know best...the audience won't believe they're Indians unless they're a swarthy dark brown."
Where's the Indians' intellect?
I still haven't heard about or seen these Twilight characters doing anything except standing around and posturing like pack animals. Do they read books? Surf the Net? Show their superior knowledge of anything other than fighting, hunting, and tracking? I doubt it.
As usual, I don't blame the actors for the bronzed, shirtless look. They probably didn't know what they were getting into when they signed their deals. And they're not in a position to demand better portrayals.
But still, they're kidding themselves if they think a secluded clan of beast-men is going to change our view of Indians. People already think Indians are nature-loving semi-humans who have no connection to modern society. What about Twilight's Indians as werewolves is going to change that?
For more on the subject, see Wolf Pack on Stereotypes, Wolf Pack Shows Savage Side, and Noble Savages in Twilight.
Below: "Don't let our shadowy, scary brown bodies fool you. Not to mention our claws, fangs, and fur when we change into wolves. We're really moral, philosophical, and intellectual giants...no, really! Awhooooo!"
10 comments:
What pathetic little Uncle Tomahawks.
It's funny and telling, too, because the majority of them are white-skinned or could pass as your average Caucasian. So it must be nice to be able to put that stereotyped 'Indian look' on for a movie!
I think it's sick that Solomon Trimble was dumped for this talentless garbage. Not to mention, if they wanted "heartthrobs", these boys are all unattractive!
...also, Chaske Spencer is the most "brown" of the bunch, and even he looks like a mestizo Latino, at most. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but still: Summit (and the rest of Hollywood), your message to tribally-identified, racialized, Indian-looking Indians (those of us who are tellin' the truth) is not so subtle.
@m.: I agree: It's such a shame that they dumped Solomon!!! I also feel they went for "as-Caucasian-as-possible-with-black-hair-and-then-we'll-bronze-them", which is superweird as a concept.
@Rob: They don't wear shirts cause their body temperature is constantly at an uncomfortable 109 degrees in Meyer's world; in contrast to the icy cold vampires.
@m.: Something else though- I am not sure what you mean by "tribally-identified": They are all enrolled and at least Kiowa and Chaske are Rez Indians (Hualapai Reservation, AZ and Fort Peck Reservation, MT respectively). What "more" do you want? Higher BQ?!
@Kat:
No, no; not higher BQ and I am not denying their tribal affiliations or the fact that two are enrolled. I was actually referring to their co-stars with that comment.
Yes, that concept is so ridiculous and offensive!!! Caucasian looks and phenotypes with "dark" skin and "raven" hair. This shared feature amongst all the new cast members (except for Graham Greene) says more than we could in words about the casting directors/Summit. It gives me something campy to laugh at, too.
Solomon Trimble is awesome. He is also a lot brighter, more talented and well-rounded as a person than his...replacement; so although he was dropped, it's safe to say his future is twice as bright as these silver screen anybodies.
As a sidenote @ Rob: I guess the only "modern" thing the wolfpack does is fight meth dealers.
Something else that wasn't Indian enough for Summit:
I haven't read the book, but know what happens roughly. Jacob gives Bella a bracelet as a gift (which one can now buy in stores all over as merchandise). In the film he gives her a dream catcher:
http://ny-image2.etsy.com//il_fullxfull.100197706.jpg
http://ny-image0.etsy.com//il_fullxfull.100543084.jpg
Apparently bracelet was not screaming Indian loudly enough, so now it's a dream catcher...
For a look at the result, the Bronzed Ones come in at 5:10:
Bronzed Ones
Alex and Kiowa on why Twilight is good for Natives, on the Quileute creation stories and a Pima photographer:
Alex and Kiowa interview at the Dadeland Mall in Miami, FL
New comic book on Stephenie Meyer and Quileutes:
"The Quileutes were originally a very spiritual people."
WTF?!
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