Before Will Smith ever slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, John Wayne nearly caused his own headline-grabbing scene. At the 1973 Academy Awards, the True Grit icon had to be physically restrained by six security guards because he was seconds away from storming the stage.
That year, The Godfather dominated the night. Marlon Brando won Best Actor but ditched the ceremony. In his place, activist Sacheen Littlefeather appeared on stage. Dressed in traditional Apache attire, she calmly rejected Brando’s Oscar while drawing attention to the portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood and the ongoing Wounded Knee Occupation.
The crowd wasn’t ready. Boos echoed through the room. Some listened. But behind the scenes? It got real. John Wayne was allegedly waiting in the wings, ready to charge. It wasn’t a dramatic metaphor. He reportedly tried to get on stage until six guards blocked him from doing something he’d probably regret forever (via People). Decades later, Sacheen Littlefeather addressed the incident saying, “I remember the faces in the crowd… John Wayne, backstage, had to be restrained by six men from coming to get me and pull me off the stage.”
Littlefeather stood her ground. She only had 60 seconds to speak. If she went over, she was told she’d be arrested. No shouting, no swearing, just a measured message that pushed hard truths into an uncomfortable spotlight. Later, she explained what happened next to Entertainment Weekly:
“I did not put up my fist in protest; I did not use profanity… We did not have jobs in the industry, we were excluded… They boycotted me; they went around to the production companies and said if you hire her we will shut you down… I was not allowed to be on any talk shows, Dick Cavett, Merv Griffin, and the like.”
Hollywood didn’t just shut the door on her; it slammed it. John Wayne, still fuming, reportedly criticized Brando for sending “some little unknown girl and dressing her up in an Indian outfit.” His frustration was raw, but his choice of words revealed how tone-deaf Hollywood still was.
On the other hand, Marlon Brando stood by the moment (via EW): “I was distressed that people should have booed and whistled and stomped, even though perhaps it was directed at myself. They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her.”
It wasn’t just an Oscars speech. It was a battle cry. A quiet one, but one that shook the room. And nearly triggered a full-on stage storm from one of Hollywood’s most powerful men. Ultimately, it became one of the wildest chapters in Academy Awards history. And a sobering reminder that standing up, even silently, can come at a steep cost.