Earlier this week, the Academy Awards board issued a formal apology to actress Sacheen Littlefeather for her treatment at the 1973 Oscars, the event in which she famously declined Marlon Brando’s award for Best Actor.
As president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee, Littlefeather endured racist derision and threats of arrest and violence when she appeared at Brando’s request to protest the mistreatment of American Indians in the film industry.
In a new interview published on the Academy’s website, Littlefeather described how John Wayne attempted to confront her backstage in the aftermath of her speech.
“[John Wayne] did not like what I was saying up at the podium,” Littlefeather recalled. “So, he came forth in a rage to physically assault and take me off the stage. And he had to be restrained by six security men in order for that not to happen.”
“[John Wayne] did not like what I was saying up at the podium,” Littlefeather recalled. “So, he came forth in a rage to physically assault and take me off the stage. And he had to be restrained by six security men in order for that not to happen.”
While this is the first time Littlefeather has broken her silence on the incident, the story has been leaked in the past. Oscars producer Howard Koch and director Marty Pasetta recounted the incident in interviews that took place in the early 1980s.
In an open letter of apology to Littlefeather, current Academy president David Rubin wrote that the abuse she “endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. 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.”
The Academy will further recognise Littlefeather and her struggles at a special event taking place at the Academy Museum on September 17th, which will be streamed online.
