Lily Gladstone might've had her breakout role in Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 movie Certain Women, but she really emerged in the spotlight in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which premiered in 2023. Gladstone plays Mollie Kyle in the crime drama, which is based on the 2017 book and follows the true story of the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma. With a dream of becoming an actor at a young age and her undeniable talent, stardom was inevitable for Gladstone, and this past year has truly been her moment. For her role as Mollie, Gladstone has won multiple awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and she’s nominated for an Academy Award at the upcoming ceremony.
- Natalie Zamora
FanSided VP of Entertainment Content
How they're making a difference in equity and inclusion
Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana until she was 11 years old, Gladstone is a Native American actor who believes in the importance of equity and inclusion. In preparation for Killers of the Flower Moon, she learned the Osage language and worked with consultants to ensure she represented Mollie as fairly and authentically as she could. She’s absolutely incredible in the film, delivering a performance full of grace that’s led to her becoming the first Indigenous woman to win an acting Golden Globe, as well as the first Native American woman to be nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Actress. At the Golden Globes, Gladstone dedicated her award win to “every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid who has a dream,” shouting out underrepresented groups whose voices should be heard. Needless to say, her achievements are a step in the right direction for Native American representation on screen.
By the numbers
Really, there is no Killers of the Flower Moon movie without Gladstone, the total standout and arguably the best part of the film. The movie has received an impressive 10 Academy Award nominations, and Gladstone has already won over 20 awards for her role — and counting. She is an inspiration to me, as a woman and as a human being, and she deserves all the success the movie is seeing.