Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon caused quite a stir at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and garnered a lot of Oscar buzz for Lily Gladstone, the movie’s standout performer. The Native American performer has a lengthy history of acting. Before she was cast as Mollie Kyle—a character modeled off Osage tribe member Mollie Burkhart—she was on the verge of taking a different career path.
“I consider it a true gift and great responsibility to be trusted with Mollie Burkhart, and I will hold her preciously with both arms, close to my heart,” Gladstone said on Instagram upon the casting announcement. My sincere gratitude to the Osage Nation: being welcomed and having the opportunity to share my narrative is an incredible gift. Niksokowaiks, iiksukapi. Best wishes to all of you, dear friends.
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Everything you need to know about Gladstone, her relationship with her leading part, and her plans is included here.
Lily Gladstone: Who is she?
Gladstone acquired the Osage language for the film, although her father’s side is Nimíipuu, or Nez Perce, and her mother is Siksikaitsitapi, or the Blackfoot Confederacy. She was born in 1986 and grew up on the Browning, Montana, Blackfeet Nation reserve until she was eleven.
She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a minor in Native American Studies from the University of Montana in 2008. Live theater has had a significant impact on her artistic development, and she worked with Living Voices. This touring play group uses “historical perspectives based on real people and events” after graduation until 2013.
She also worked as a teacher at Red Eagle Soaring, a Native American theater organization headquartered in Seattle.
Just before she was cast in Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone was reportedly considering “applying for seasonal work with the Department of Agriculture tracking murder hornets,” according to a report published in August 2020 in the Hollywood Reporter.
“I had, like, almost a parental love of bees at that time… [I got] a fire in my belly to go after these invasive killers that were attacking the indigenous species,” she told British Vogue about her passion for bees.
Gladstone has traveled much for business, especially to Los Angeles, but as of 2016, she appeared to be living in Montana permanently.
She informed the Montanan, “I’m never going to leave Montana fully.” Being able to collaborate with Native tribes here is something I like. Furthermore, Missoula is an excellent area for traveling artists to be grounded while on the road.
What has Lily Gladstone said about her part in Killers of the Flower Moon?
Gladstone is a staunch advocate of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has complicated the marketing of movies this year. Apart from the post she wrote after being cast, she also wrote before the strike about her thanks to the Osage Nation, her role, and her co-stars who portrayed the other “Kyle sisters.”
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“The community of GrayHorse has raised so many wise, beautiful, graceful, funny, and unbelievably strong women. I’m so grateful to the Osage Nation and all the descendants of this not-so-distant past,” she captioned the photo. What a privilege it was to play the sisters, sisters, Kyle. How wonderful it is to work with these fantastic actresses!
During the Cannes premiere, she also told Vanity Fair, “I’m very much in a state of being in the moment right now.” But I’m appreciative. I am appreciative.
She continued by sharing her journey to discover Mollie’s true identity.
“My main goal was to impart to Mollie my perception of her based on my background and perspective,” the woman remarked. “But also allowing the Osage people to truly shape who she was and how she would behave herself.”
She also mentioned that Mollie and her grandmother, Lily, lived around the same period and were both devoted Catholics.
“Osage friends would open up about stories of people they knew from that generation when I shared stories about Grandma Lily,” the speaker said. “A lot of things were really similar to one another.”
“I always kept an eye on where, in proximity to telling the story about Mollie Burkhart, how far away do I need to keep my ego?” she said, referring to the burden of being on this large set. Because there’s this pop and glamor factor to being in a Scorsese picture with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.”
What other projects has Gladstone worked on, and what is she working on now?
She landed her first movie role in 2013’s Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian. In 2016, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Supporting Female category for her performance in the Kristen Stewart-starring film Certain Women. She has appeared on TV shows, including Billions, Reservation Dogs, Tuca and Bertie, and Room 104. She commemorated the premiere of her film, The Unknown Country, in July.
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Recently, Gladstone was chosen to play Cam Bentland in the upcoming Hulu series Under the Bridge, based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name. The novel is based on an accurate account of 14-year-old Reena Virk’s disappearance during a party and the case surrounding her homicide. One of the few women of color in the department involved in the case is Bentland, a police officer.
Conclusion
- Lily Gladstone, breakout star of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” received acclaim for her portrayal of Osage tribe member Mollie Kyle in the Martin Scorsese-directed film.
- Born in 1986, Gladstone, of Nimíipuu and Siksikaitsitapi heritage, acquired the Osage language for her role and has a background in theater, education, and Native American studies.
- Prior to her role in the film, Gladstone considered seasonal work with the Department of Agriculture tracking murder hornets, showcasing her passion for environmental causes.
- Apart from her success in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Gladstone has an extensive acting career, including notable performances in “Certain Women,” TV shows like “Reservation Dogs,” and an upcoming role in the Hulu series “Under the Bridge.”