Bill Maher’s use of the N-word on his HBO show Friday night has led Senator Al Franken to cancel his appearance on the show and some to call for Maher's firing. It's also ignited debate over who can say the N-word. We get reaction from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates and "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien. Then, Brett Haley's new movie “The Hero" looks at our admiration of cinematic heroes through the life of an aging actor whose public personae is defined by a role he played on screen.
Bill Maher's use of the N-word whips up a storm
By now, you've probably heard about the controversy surrounding Bill Maher, the host of HBO's weekly political show, "Real Time with Bill Maher."
During the live broadcast of the show last Friday night, he used the N-word during his interview with U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska). During their exchange, Maher said he should visit Nebraska more.
“We’d love to have you work in the fields with us,” Sasse said.
“Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house n-----,” Maher said.
Maher's comment was a reference to slaves who were chosen to work in the homes of plantation owners. They ostensibly had it easier than those who worked in the fields.
The reaction was swift and negative. HBO called Maher's behavior "completely inexcusable," and social media was equally scathing, with people like Chance the Rapper calling for Maher's dismissal.
Maher has since apologized: “The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”
Justin Simien is the writer/director of the film, "Dear White People," and creator of the Netflix series of the same name. Karen Grigsby Bates is an NPR correspondent and a member of the Code Switch team. They spoke with The Frame's John Horn.
Interview highlights:
On who is allowed to say the N-word:
Justien Simien: It's not so much about whether you are allowed to say it. It's about what happens when you do say it — how it affects the people that you supposedly care about and want to supposedly champion. How it hits their lives and how it hits their hearts and how it can really cause, in some cases, violence and negative situations for black people. So I think that if you are a person who's got black folks in your lives, I don't understand why you would use it. I would hope you would have more empathy for your friends and your comrades to just let us have that one thing.
Karen Grigsby Bates: There are often people who say, Well, my brother-in-law is black and so I can use it. Or in Quentin Tarantino's case, My mother's boyfriend was black and I liked him a lot so I can use it. What kind of excuse is that? That's so bizarre.
JS: Also, where does the desire to use it come from? Why do you want it so bad? You know what I mean? This is a case where we turned our poison into medicine, but for you to deny the history of that word, it just feels really insensitive.
On whether Maher's comment adds to the growing voice of prejudice and white supremacy:
JS: I'll say this: I noticed a lot of people jumping on that conversation who were certainly politicizing the issue to justify racism. I did notice that a lot. It's an unfortunate reality of where our country is at right now, where situations like these are so easily politicized and weaponized. But I think there have been bigger gaffes. And when we have full-on devoted racists who also have their own shows, I think it cuts both ways. I think Bill has done a lot in terms of progressive, liberal agendas. I think this is a moment where he made a mistake. I think it should be made very clear to him why it was a mistake.
KGB: He's apologized, but the question is: Has he apologized because he really means it, or because it's expedient and it allows him to keep going without getting mired down in some of the outrage that's followed him? My question is, What did we learn from this? What we learned is that sometimes people that we think are not going to act this way, act this way because they feel entitled.
JS: He's been saying really Islamophobic things for a very long time on his show, very anti-Muslim sentiments, very anti-trans sentiments that, frankly, haven't paused the world. That's an interesting aspect of where we are as a country. He used a word and he shouldn't have used it. Like Karen said, I'm not exactly sure he learned why not to use it. But he's been saying stuff like this about other groups that, frankly, are more marginalized and don't really have a platform to stop the world when someone does that against them. So, if anything, I hope that this is at least the beginning of a wakeup call that these things really do have consequences. It's not just about feeling. It's about actual oppression in this country.
'The Hero' director Brett Haley on why we lionize some actors and trash others
The archetype of the hero is a staple of Hollywood movies.
The anti-hero may have taken over the most popular spot in cinema and TV for the time being, but there was a time when Westerns showed the world in easily distinguishable terms of good and evil: the hero wore the white hat, the villain wore black, and there was no question of who to root for.
The new movie called “The Hero” focuses on an aging actor named Lee Hayden, played by Sam Elliott, who's played that white hat hero role so well that he’s become something of an icon. In the film, Hayden wrestles with that identity as he faces his own mortality.
"The Hero" was directed by Brett Haley, who also co-wrote the film with Marc Basch. Haley stopped by The Frame studios to discuss the film.
Interview highlights:
On society's complicated relationship with actors
In this industry and this society, we're really hard on actors. We say, Oh, actors have got it so easy, but we chew up and spit out actors like it ain't nothing. I love actors, and they are my number one thing when I make a movie. They're usually my starting place, creatively. And I do think we are really hard on them. It's like somebody could be on top of the world, be the most famous person in the world — 10 years later, nobody gives a s---. That to me is fascinating. And to see the aftermath, years later, what is left, not only of this man, but of the people around him. The things that you sacrifice to do this job — it's just all fascinating, really good fodder.
On how much of the film was inspired by his previous work with Sam Elliott in "I'll See You in My Dreams"
A lot of it. Sam and I just became really close when we were doing promotion on "I'll See You in My Dreams." We talked a lot about what it's been like for him, almost 50 years in the industry. And he's been a guy that would say he's been incredibly lucky, incredibly blessed, with the roles that he's received. He tells a great story about when he got the script for "The Big Lebowski." And he was so excited, he was on the set of a Western, of course. And he got the script and he thought, Oh God, I'm going to be able to play not what I normally have to play. And then he opened the script and of course he saw [his character] 'The Stranger' and he was like, Aw man, I'm never going to get out of this. And then he said there was a turning point in which he said, I'm just going to embrace it. And then, of course, once you embrace something like that, the world sort of opens up to you. And he got "The Contender" and he got all these really wonderful roles since then, and I'm just glad to have added to the canon of his work, because I think he can do anything.
On the beauty of the Western genre's simplicity
The wonderful thing about the Western is the simplicity of it. Movies these days, like 15 things have to happen in a big blockbuster. Back in the day, three things would happen. "High Noon" — it's like, Hey, bad guys are coming. Can anyone help me? Oh, no? I guess I'll be here and try to stop them. That's it. Movies nowadays, and for a lots of good reasons, aren't necessarily made like that anymore. So it's not only about a dying breed of movie, it's about a dying breed of man, or actor.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.