'Avatar 2': James Cameron 'old comments' sparks boycott campaign
James Cameron's 2009's 'Avatar' also faced boycott from Native Americans
James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water came under sharp criticism from Native Americans, who called a boycott of the most expensive film due to its racist Naʼvi portrayal, as per WaPo.
The long-delayed Avatar sequel, which grossed nearly half a billion worldwide, faced boycott campaigns, "Join Natives & other Indigenous groups around the world in boycotting this horrible & racist film.
Our cultures were appropriated in a harmful manner to satisfy some [white flag emoji] man's savior complex," Yuè Begay, a Navajo artist and co-chair of Indigenous Pride Los Angeles, said.
Previously, James Cameron fell on the wrong side of the aisle with The Native Americans for offensive comments, who started the movement to boycott 2009's Avatar.
But renewed calls to boycott the film came after the Oscar winner's those old comments resurfaced about the Sioux nation in 2010, including the Lakota people, which the campaign calls "anti-indigenous rhetoric."
Cameron's disrespectful comments drew a strong reaction from Native Americans, "James Cameron apparently made Avatar inspire all my dead ancestors to 'fight harder,'" wrote Johanna Brewer, a computer science professor at Smith College. "Eff right off with that savior complex, bud."
"I won't be seeing the new one," Chapman wrote. "It does nothing for Native Americans but suck oxygen for itself at our expense."
The boycott campaign also focused on Cameron's casting white actors to play the Na'vi people.
Moreover, the campaign called for such creative decisions of James Cameron's Avatar's "blueface," in the tradition of the racist performance practices of "redface, blackface, yellowface.
Previously, James Cameron also mentioned, "The Native Americans are the Na’vi."
-
Hollywood meets Bollywood: Will Smith eyes Shah Rukh Khan collaboration
-
'Hamnet' Jessie Buckley offers sincere thanks to one crew member for THIS at Golden Globes
-
Kim Kardashian shares terrifying birthday mishap
-
'Stranger Things' finale documentary has one big mystery involving David Harbour, Winona Ryder
-
Leonardo DiCaprio's reaction to Nikki Glaser's jokes at Golden Globes goes viral
-
Golden Globes 2026: 'The Pitt' and 'The Studio' win top honors
-
Why Taylor Swift docuseries, Travis Kelce podcast not nominated for a Golden Globe 2026
-
Sean Penn's reaction goes viral after brutal Nikki Glaser roast