Lily Gladstone is incredibly thankful for her relationship with Killers of the Flower Moon costar Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Leo’s been incredible,” Gladstone, 37, told Extra in an interview published on Monday, January 8. “I’m an only child, but I always imagined this is what it would feel like to have a big brother.”
Gladstone noted that DiCaprio, 49, “teases” and “encourages” her just like a good sibling should – and was even more excited about her 2024 Golden Globe nomination than she was.
“He was getting more worked up before I was, just waiting for the category,” she quipped of the Sunday, January 7, ceremony. “He told me he was proud of me, no matter what the outcome.”
Gladstone took home the win for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama at the awards show for her role as Mollie Burkhart in the Apple TV+ film, making her the first indigenous winner of the category. She beat out Annette Bening (Nyad), Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) for the trophy, beginning her acceptance speech in Blackfeet before continuing in English.
“My mom — who even though she’s not Blackfeet — worked tirelessly to get our language into our classrooms,” she explained. “I’m so grateful that I could speak even a little bit of my language, which I’m not fluent enough in because Native actors used to speak their lines in English and then the sound mixers would run them backwards to accomplish Native language on camera.”
Gladstone went on to thank DiCaprio and their costar Robert De Niro as well as director Martin Scorsese for their support. “This is a historic win that doesn’t belong to just me. Thank you Marty. Thank you Leo. Thank you Bob,” she said. “You are all changing things. Thank you for being such allies.”
Killers of the Flower Moon tells the true story of a series of murders of Osage Indigenous Americans In 1920s Oklahoma. The historical drama scored a total of seven nods at this year’s Globes, including Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Original Score — Motion Picture, Best Screenplay — Motion Picture and Best Director.
While speaking to Extra, Gladstone revealed that DiCaprio — who portrays her husband, Ernest Burkhart, in the movie — started “teasing” her over the possibility of winning “after the first week of production,” which kicked off in April 2021. While Gladstone told him to “shut up” at the time,” she now gives the actor “full permission” to start teasing her again.
Any poking from DiCaprio, however, is purely out of love. The Titanic star has taken every opportunity to gush about Gladstone and her talent since the pair began promoting the film last year.
“Marty just instinctively knew Lily was the one,” DiCaprio told British Vogue in September 2023, noting that there was a “truthfulness in [Gladstone’s] eyes” that came through even when the director met her via Zoom. “She carries the entire film and the story.”
DiCaprio isn’t wrong. Since its October 2023 premiere, the film and Gladstone instantly began to garner major awards season buzz, with Killers of the Flower Moon making it into multiple categories on the Academy Awards season shortlist.
When asked about potentially scoring her first Oscar nomination later this year, however, Gladstone played it cool, telling Extra, “One thing at a time, right?”
