Lily Gladstone reminisces about her childhood as an ardent admirer of her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Beyond discussing how DiCaprio’s work influenced her acting aspirations, she discloses that her favorite performance of his is in the 1998 film “The Man in the Iron Mask,” where DiCaprio portrays both King Louis XIV and his exiled twin brother Phillippe in Randall Wallace’s adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel.
“I already knew at that point I wanted to be an actor,” Gladstone told People, “and getting to see one actor play that kind of duality, it was really cool.”
Hailing from Montana, she also fondly recalls her love for the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” admitting, “It was one of the first things I spent my allowance on,” revealing she pre-ordered the double VHS set from the now-defunct Toys ‘R’ Us.
Two decades later, having admired DiCaprio’s work, Gladstone auditions for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and secures the role of Mollie, an Indigenous Osage woman married to DiCaprio’s character, Ernest. Praised for her performance, she is now considered a potential Oscar winner after her success at the Gotham Awards, where she won the Outstanding Lead Performance trophy for the lesser-known drama “The Unknown Country.”
In a five-star review of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey singles out Gladstone, describing her performance as extraordinary, providing the film with a compelling center of gravity. Loughrey commends Gladstone for delivering one of the most remarkable performances by a woman in any of Scorsese’s movies, portraying Mollie as serene yet not saintly, a tragic figure with a fiery spirit.
Describing a pivotal moment in the film, Loughrey notes, “The first time we dive into Mollie’s perspective, it’s with a force that could suck the breath out of your body. The eyes of the white men and women around her are curdled with disgust. Hers are all-knowing about the future that’s barreling towards her.”
