Lily Gladstone, the breakout star of Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," is making history. In December, the 37-year-old actress became the first Indigenous woman to be nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama. She's considered a front-runner for Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards, and her mission to expand Native storytelling onscreen is far from complete.
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"Killers of the Flower Moon" is a searing American crime epic about the 1920s Reign of Terror, in which members of the Osage Nation were murdered for the valuable oil reserves on their land. The film stars such heavyweights as Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, but it's Gladstone's powerhouse performance as Mollie Burkhart, a real-life Osage woman who was betrayed by her white husband during the Reign of Terror, that's captivated audiences and critics alike.
"Flower Moon" may have catapulted to Gladstone to fame, but she's been a critical darling since her award-winning turn in the 2016 indie drama "Certain Women," filmed in her home state of Montana. Gladstone has parlayed her Hollywood success into broader support for Native causes. She grew up on the Blackfeet Nation Reservation in Montana and has long worked with the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, among other nonprofits.
Expect to see much more of Gladstone after the 2024 awards cycle wraps up. Next, she stars in the Hulu series "Under the Bridge," based on Rebecca Godfrey's book chronicling the 1997 murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk. Gladstone plays Cam Bentland, the only woman of color to work the case, in the show.
Here's everything you need to know about Lily Gladstone, from her Reservation upbringing and theater roots to her passion for expanding Native storytelling onscreen.
Lily Gladstone Grew up on the Blackfeet Nation Reservation
Lily Gladstone, left, in a 2010 production of "The Frybread Queen" at the University of Montana. (Lily Gladstone via Instagram)
Lily Gladstone was born August 2, 1986 in Kalispell, Montana. She is of Blackfeet and Nez Perce descent on her father's side, and she was raised on the Blackfeet Nation Reservation in Browning, Montana until age 11.
Before pursuing acting, Gladstone wanted to be a ballerina. As fate would have it, one of her idols growing up was America's first prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, who was Osage. "I was always told by my ballet teachers that I was their actress because I was very performative in my roles," Gladstone told W magazine in January. "I wasn't getting cast in roles like the Sugar Plum Fairy. I was getting the Rat King. I was very much a character actress."
Gladstone's family moved to Seattle during her middle school years, where she enrolled in the Stone Soup youth theater company and began starring in student theater productions. In 2008, she graduated from the University of Montana with a BFA in Theater and a minor in Native American Studies.
Upon graduation, Gladstone taught acting classes at Seattle's Red Eagle Soaring theater program for Native youth. She also toured with Living Voices, a theater company which produces shows based on historical figures and events, until 2013.
Her Breakout Role in 'Certain Women'
Lily Gladstone in "Certain Women." (IFC Films)
Before "Killers of the Flower Moon," Gladstone forged a career in indie and arthouse film, often appearing in projects about the Native experience. She made her feature film debut in 2013's "Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian," which starred Benicio Del Toro and won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Her breakout came in Kelly Reichardt's Montana-set 2016 drama "Certain Women," which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female Actor. The film is a tender look at the intersecting lives of three women played by Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and Laura Dern.
Gladstone followed that up with roles in the Rami Malek mystery "Buster's Mal Heart" (2016) and Reichardt's "First Cow" (2019). She's also appeared in TV series like "Billions," "Tuca and Bertie" and "Reservation Dogs." In 2022, she wrote and starred in the tender road trip drama "The Unknown Country."
'Killers of the Flower Moon' Critical Acclaim
Lily Gladstone in "Killers of the Flower Moon." (Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV+)
In February 2021, it was announced that Gladstone would play Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese's crime epic "Killers of the Flower Moon." In an Instagram post at the time, Gladstone expressed her "absolute honor" to be joining the cast and telling Mollie's story.
"I consider it a true gift and great responsibility to be trusted with Mollie Burkhart, and will hold her preciously with both arms, close to my heart," Gladstone wrote. "My most profound thanks to Osage Nation, it is a remarkable gift to be welcomed by you, and to be able to tell this story."
"Flower Moon" premiered to rave reviews at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, with special praise for Gladstone's performance. In preparation for the role, she learned to speak Osage and worked with members of the Osage community to accurately portray the massacre at the heart of the film.
Gladstone, who has long worked with the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, has been outspoken about the need for more accurate Native representation onscreen. While she has acknowledged the limits of "Flower Moon," which is told from a white male perspective, Gladstone has also praised both Scorsese and her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for their dedication to involving the Osage community in the film's production:
"The work is better when you let the world inform the work," she said at the Variety Studio in 2023. "That was very refreshing how involved the production got with the [Osage Nation] community. As the community warmed up to our presence, the more the community got involved with the film. It's a different movie than the one [Scorsese] walked in to make almost entirely because of what the community had to say about how it was being made and what was being portrayed."
Gladstone Lives in Montana
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Gladstone currently splits her time between Los Angeles and her home state of Montana. Speaking to the Montanan in 2016, she stated that she'd always keep a home base in the state:
"I'm never going to fully leave Montana," she told the outlet. "I like being in a place where I can work with Native communities. And Missoula's a really nice place to be grounded when you're a working, traveling artist."
