In the ’50s television series, famous for reinforcing American Indian stereotypes, it was Jay Silverheels, a Canadian Mohawk (actually born Harold J. Smith), who made the character a household name. So it’s no wonder, Johnny’s reprisal of the role has raised a few eyebrows, especially when he’s featured in the trailer, reciting lines in broken English like: “There come a time, when good man must
wear mask.”;
After a special presentation of the western at CinemaCon in Vegas, Johnny shares his reasoning behind taking on such a loaded role with fans. “When I watched the show, I just didn’t understand why Tonto was the sidekick. I was always a little unnerved by it,”; he explains. “The goal was to try to, in my own small way, right the many wrongs done to those people, and to show Tonto not only as a proud warrior also as a man outside.”;
During the film’s production, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, who’s identified himself as being of Native American ancestry, was made an honorary member Comanche Nation in Utah. But whether viewers will see his version of Tonto as a positive rewriting of the character, is still to be seen.
Armie Hammer of The Social Network fame, plays the Lone Ranger, John Reid and during the Q&A, the actor shares what it was like to put on the famous mask for the very first time. “It never really felt surreal,”; he says of the experience where hundreds of masks were presented to him. “There was this one that just went right on, fit the bridge of my nose just right, everything just fit perfectly. I wish it were more iconic, but it was more like “Oh this one fits.'”;
For more from Armie and Johnny at CinemaCon, watch the video below.