
As a movie fan, I remember a lot of talk when Johnny Depp played Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger.’ He mentioned having some Native American roots, and actually worked closely with the Comanche Nation, who even gave him an honorary adoption during filming. There was definitely some debate about whether he should have played the role, but it didn’t seem to hurt his career much. What I found interesting was that he based his look for the character on a painting, not necessarily on how Native Americans actually looked at the time. It’s a role that still comes up when people talk about representation in movies today, and whether casting choices like that are appropriate.