Killers of the Flower Moon isn’t a typical gangster movie, but it fits with Martin Scorsese’s long-running theme of depicting corrupt and violent men.
The movie features Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, who’ve worked with the director on various flicks. It also stars Lily Gladstone as Mollie in her first major role.
Gladstone gave an impressive performance, which added a personal touch to the historical tale—earning her an Oscar nod for Best Actress. Interestingly, the character she portrayed was almost treated poorly in the original script.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Latest Film Nearly Crossed a Line with Oscar-Nominated Lily Gladstone
Lily Gladstone made history at the Golden Globes this year. She became the first Indigenous woman to win the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama award in the show’s 81-year history for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Gladstone is recognized for her work in indie projects such as Certain Women and Billions. Her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in the Scorsese’s movie has been getting a lot of attention lately.
Mollie is an Osage woman who marries Ernest Burkhart, the nephew of a powerful local rancher. As her family members begin to be found dead, she gets involved in the investigation of the murders. It’s her big break as the main star in a serious movie.
However, her character almost faced mistreatment in the original script of the Killers of the Flower Moon. When the casting directors reached out to Mollie in 2019, her character had only three scenes in the script.
But the rewrite saved her role, earning extra praise to the whole film. In the final version, Gladstone has about one hour of screen time.
How Did Lily Gladstone Land the Role of Mollie in Killers of the Flower Moon?
When Lily Gladstone auditioned for the role of Mollie, she thought of doing what every actor does — work to make the role authentic and meaningful by reshaping it.
But then the pandemic delayed the movie, and at the same time, she had more responsibilities at home. The Kalispell native had to take care of her uncle, grandmother, and father, who had a weakened immune system from his job as a boilermaker rigger. “It’s a gift that I embrace,” the 37-year-old said of eldercare to LA Times.
Meanwhile, invasive hornets started appearing in Washington, endangering the state’s bee population. Gladstone went online to apply for a temporary data-analytics job monitoring the hornets for the state’s agriculture department.
Just as she was about to pay for the application, she received an email notification: Skype meeting with Martin Scorsese. “Like, that second,” the actress said in the same outlet.
She found out that Scorsese had revised the script, putting more emphasis on Mollie and her troubled relationship with her husband, Ernest (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio). Soon after, the Casino director chose her for the role that would alter her life forever.
Watch Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV.
