Lily Gladstone calls ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ a “great American tragedy”
Following its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, Martin Scorsese‘s newest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, received widespread praise, making it one of the year’s most anticipated movies.
Alongside Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser and Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone stars as Mollie Burkhart, the real-life wife of DiCaprio’s Ernest Buckhart. The movie explores the Oklahoma murders, which took place in the 1920s, with Mollie and Ernest’s relationship becoming a central part of the story.
In a new interview, Gladstone dubbed the movie “a great American tragedy” in response to people referring to Killers of the Flower Moon as a western. She told Empire: “With natives and westerns, we are so dehumanized that it just kind of feels like we’re part of the landscape – instead of humans that are telling a story.”
Scorsese ensured that his portrayal of native communities was accurate, seeking the advice of “Osage consultants and cultural advisors” to “prepare” for the film.
“We’re excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalise a time in American history that should not be forgotten,” Scorsese shared during an interview with MovieWeb.
In the same Empire interview, Gladstone also discussed the relationship between Mollie and Ernest. “Having grown up on my reservation in Montana, in the American West and Indian country, it was very familiar to see this goofy, exaggerated cowboy sort of a character falling for a really self-possessed native woman.”
“That’s just such a familiar dynamic. And that was backed up by a lot of community stories that we had heard,” she added.
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