Lily Gladstone Makes Oscars History as First Native American Best Actress Nominee for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
variety.comValerie Wu Intern Lily Gladstone has become the first Native American woman to be nominated for best actress at the Academy Awards.
Gladstone was recognized for her role as Osage woman and historical figure Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s epic “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone’s nomination comes four years after Yalitza Aparicio, who is Indigenous Mexican, received a best actress nomination at the 2019 Oscars.
Aparicio starred in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 film “Roma” as housekeeper Cleodegaria “Cleo” Gutiérrez. In addition to Aparicio, two other Indigenous women — Merle Oberon for 1933’s “The Dark Angel,” who is believed to have Māori heritage in addition to South Asian, and Keisha Castle-Hughes for 2003’s “Whale Rider — have been nominated for the best actress award throughout Oscars history.
Oberon is British, while Castle-Hughes is Kiwi. “Killers of the Flower Moon” depicts the Reign of Terror in early 19th-century Oklahoma, in which members of the Osage Nation were strategically killed off by those seeking their oil money.
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