Woman Surprised To Find She Appears In The Revenant, Without Pay Or Credit

An Alaskan woman was shocked to find that she appears in Oscar-winning movie ‘The Revenant’, without her knowledge, and without a screen credit, or getting paid.

Doreen Nutaaq Simmonds from the small city of Barrow, on the edge of the Arctic Sea, was watching the film at the cinema with her son and a friend when her voice was recognised in a voiceover, reading a poem.

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Her appearance comes around 90 minutes into the film, when a Pawnee indian helps Leonardo DiCaprio’s abandoned fur-trapper, building him a shelter to protect him from the elements.

The poem, spoken in the Inupiaq language, from Arctic Alaska, was initially understood by Simmonds’ friend who whispered 'Hey! I can understand that!’

“I was so engrossed in what the Indian was doing, that I hadn’t paid attention,” Simmonds told the Alaska Dispatch News.

“But then I started listening more closely. My son said, ‘That’s you, Mom.’ That’s when my ears opened.”

It emerged that Simmonds had recited the poem for a recording by musician John Luther Adams called 'Earth and the Great Weather’ 27 years previously.

However, despite her unwitting involvement in the film, Simmonds received no screen credit, nor any fee for the repeated performances.

A rep for distributors 20th Century Fox told The Guardian: “The track was a pre-existing musical track from 1994 licensed from John Luther Adams/New World Music who granted us the rights.”

Simmonds added that she was unaware of any agreement made during her initial recording of the poem, or even if she signed anything at all.

The poem reads: “Tagiuqpaum sagvagaanja/ Arjalatkaanja ivigaatun/ Sagvaqsiqsuatun kuukpagmi.”

It translates as: “The great sea has set me adrift. It moves me like a weed in a great river.”

The movie, which has grossed $443 million (£312 million) since its release, and cost $135 million (£95 million) to make, scored the Oscars for Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Director and Best Cinematography, as well as a clutch of BAFTA and Golden Globes.

Image credits: Fox