Despite Losing Out at the Oscars, Lily Gladstone’s Future Looks More than Bright, as Does Her Activism

In Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon, Native American actress Lily Gladstone portrayed Mollie Burkhart, the wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the movie. Molly went through Hell in the movie as her husband and his corrupt friends wanted to take what was not theirs for themselves. Her performance in the movie was lauded by fans and critics, and she was the favorite to win an Oscar in the main actress category. And while Gladstone ultimately lost out to Emma Stone, whose performance in Poor Things was absolutely majestic, the Oscar loss did not hold her back in any way.

In a recent talk with Empire, the actress revealed that she has numerous projects lined up and that offers just keep coming in. Knowing that she had almost given up acting, this is certainly a brilliant piece of information that confirms that the talented actress is going to continue making movies in the future.

When asked whether the Oscars loss hindered her in any way and whether it was a setback in her career, Gladstone made clear that the loss did not have a negative influence on her career in any way, and that she has work lined up:

“I mean, regardless of how things turned out, I have work coming out and I have work lined up. And I have this beautiful film Fancy Dance queued up. I was just so grateful knowing that — especially because Killers Of The Flower Moon opened up this space on-screen. And now audiences want to see and fall in love with us. The whole time, Fancy Dance was waiting to find a [distribution] home and I was hearing the people who saw it on the festival circuit saying that it really goes in tandem with Killers. These two films work together.

Source: Empire

Empire also asked her whether there was some anger or disappointment in her family after the Oscars loss, to which she replied:

“No, not at all. It was funny, the organisers of the event called me beforehand and they said that they’d got a bunch of little cardboard cut-outs of gold-man statues that looked like an Oscar, to give to the kids. They asked if that was okay, or if it was gonna hurt my feelings. I said: “No, absolutely not.” That’s just the whole thing of award campaigns and the competitive nature of pitting art against art. Clearly this film, in this moment, had meaning. It did its job.

But yeah, nobody was upset that it didn’t happen. I feel like when the Golden Globe happened (she won Best Actress), a lot of people who are very far away from the industry just kind of thought it was the Oscars. It’s about the fact that [the film has] been awarded and it’s historic, and it’s still just a really meaningful moment. So it’s irrelevant whether or not I walked home with that statue in hand.”

Source: Empire

She was also asked about the projects and offers she has been getting after Scorsese’s movie. It is obvious that she has a lot of them, but Empire wanted to know what kind of projects she has been receiving:

“I love writers who are very inventive; the kind of films I like to watch are quirky. I’m so excited about the project I was offered [The Memory Police] that was adapted [from Yoko Ogawa’s 1994 sci-fi novel] by Charlie Kaufman. He’s my favourite screenwriter. I loved getting a call from [director] Reed Morano [about it], who I just fell in love with immediately, and hearing a story which I’m excited about as an artist. It’s a decentralised indictment of totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism, but in a very Charlie Kaufman way. It’s a beyond-my-wildest-dream thing that’s coming true, getting to jump into this process. And I’m doing an ensemble romantic comedy — it’s deeply indie, which I love — which will be announced very soon.

I am having conversations about doing things that have some levity, because while I want my work to be meaningful, I really like getting creative and going against the grain. I like black comedy. Before it’s all over, it would be really fun to do an action film. It’s all of the things you dream of for yourself when you first become an actor, but unless they were looking for someone Native, I didn’t see myself getting to play those characters. There’s way more diversity in the things I’m being approached for now and what I’m being offered.”

Source: Empire

Finally, she was asked about her activism, which has been an important part of her life. As a Native American, she has certainly faced a tough time in the entertainment industry, but she reiterated that her mere presence means that she is doing activist work for her people:

“There are overt ways art can be activism: bringing to light some social inequity or raising awareness about a marginalised history. And a good part of my acting life was committed to bringing acting technique to the community, for grounding, for self-expression, for finding an artistic voice, and strengthening your power and influence in the world, especially with Native youth.

When I was a kid, any representation that was there, you’d cling to it. There are debates now in Indian Country that Grogu is indigenous, but what tribal nation would he belong to? Native performers are showing up in any role in any genre or budget. We’ve got people doing grounded, textured indies, and we’ve got Marvel superheroes — the performance Alaqua Cox gave in [Disney+ Marvel series] Echo. I think that as long as we’re out there, and we’re doing it, it’s activism. If you break it down, 95 per cent were wiped out. We’re the ones who are still here. So in any form we pop up in, and any story we tell… it’s changing people’s perception. Art gives us a framework to understand society.”

Source: Empire

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