Lily Gladstone of “Killers of the Flower Moon” expressed joy that indigenous artists are finally receiving the deserved recognition. She shot to fame after starring in the Martin Scorsese film that got her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Lily created history as the first Native American to be nominated for an Oscar.
“First” and “Only” Are Very Different Things
Gladstone made headlines again as she won a Golden Globe as the first indigenous person. She also emphasised the need to support Native designers and prides herself in her Blackfeet history. Just because Lily is the first to achieve certain feats, it doesn’t mean she is the “only” one to do so. More will follow and we should all welcome them, she feels.
“We have always been here,” she adds, “we’re celebrating the amazing things Natives are doing right now.” From being in Reservation Dogs to pioneering reggae rock, Lily Gladstone shares that Hollywood is ready for native artists. Indigenous people are on the rise and are commanding a big presence in Hollywood.
New Generation of Natives
Writers, showrunners, directors, designers, actors, producers, and storytellers of all kinds are all beaming with Native pride. With every win or nomination Lily Gladstone bags, they resonate and strive to transform Hollywood movies in the future.
Per Lily’s expertise, the Native Hollywood talent we should look out for is maverick Sterlin Harjo and director Sierra Teller Ornelas. Many other filmmakers, editors, cinematographers, stunt specialists, and more feature on that list. She named 42 artists in total in an interview with The Guardian.
Native Representation Matters to Lily Gladstone
For millennia, Native Americans have been crafting their stories, but now they have come into the mainstream. But when you talk about representation, it becomes a new thing, sort of like a discovery. “Native Americans have been on this continent making art for all of history, representing ourselves, representing our stories and communities forever.”
She also talks about her latest, “Tremblay,” a feature film directed by Fancy Dance, which Lily also co-wrote with Michiana Alise. The trouble was to get distributors, “We premiered at Sundance and got incredible reviews. But is someone going to buy this independent film?”
“Native Hollywood has this amazing support system. Everyone roots for everyone else to succeed,” says Lily, who studied film-making in college and started as a stunt person.
However, it was long before she got her first “Native” role as she didn’t have the stereotypical looks. She was recently mistaken for Priety Zinta on social media. “Reservation Dogs changed the landscape of film and TV for me.”
“Unless Indigenous people are making the content, we’re still being situated in the past.” But things have changed for the better. “Getting to see my younger sibling and cousins represent themselves on screen makes me so happy.” Lily Gladstone now enjoys her Native-driven projects as everybody speaks in “Cayuga” calling out action, roll, set, and cut.
