Affleck 'amazed' by Australian racism
By Alyssa Braithwaite
March 05, 2008 02:34pm
Article from: AAP
OSCAR-nominated actor Casey Affleck says he was 'amazed' by the racism he saw in Australia on a visit in 1990s, and it inspired him to do something about it.
"We drove from Sydney out to Alice Springs and kind of all around the outback, and I was amazed at how much it was like the old wild west in America," Mr Affleck said.
"This was just in the 1990s, and there was little wooden signs nailed to the trees on the outside of town that would say 'Abo's go around' and I just couldn't believe that kind of stuff still existed."
The plight of Australian Aborigines inspired him to raise awareness of struggling indigenous cultures in a new television series called 4 Real, he said.
Affleck visits the Pawnee Nation reservation in Oklahoma in the series, and says he saw parallels between the challenges faced by Native Americans and indigenous Australians.
Affleck, who was nominated for an Academy Award for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, by Australian director Andrew Dominik, said things were improving in both in Australia and the US, but more needed to be done.
"I know that (in Australia) you've got the dual names for the national parks, like Ayers Rock is called Uluru, and finally some of the Aboriginal heritage is being recognised and I think that's great," he said.
"And in very, very, very small steps the same thing is happening here for the Native Americans.
"But I think it's largely due to the fact of their own resourcefulness and determination and their character, and not because of the goodness of our collective heart."
The 32-year-old, whose brother is actor Ben Affleck, said he signed up to 4 Real to help turn the spotlight on some neglected communities.
Series producer Josh Thome said they were considering filming an episode in Australia in the second series.
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