Lily Gladstone makes history with SAG Award win for Killers of the Flower Moon
"Keep speaking your truths and keep speaking up for each other.”
It's most definitely awards season and last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards saw actors from the world of film and TV collide in a star-studded ceremony. One of the most coveted honours of the night - the award for Best Female Actor - was won by Lily Gladstone for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Gladstone's performance as Mollie Burkhart has been a standout for many but her SAG Award win is also a historic one, as she is the first Indigenous actor to win in the category.
Gladstone was also up against some fierce competition in the category with the likes of Emma Stone (Poor Things), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Annette Bening (Nyad) all up for the Best Female Actor award.
After accepting the award from fellow actress Jessica Chastain, Gladstone shared that she was "proud" of her fellow actors for being “here in solidarity with all of our other unions”, referencing the strikes in Hollywood last year. She said: “I feel the good in what you have done, what you do,” she said. “This has been a hard year for all of us. Those in this room, those not in this room.”
Gladstone continued: "The win is getting to be here. It’s getting to be on set. It’s getting to tell stories,” she added. “We bring empathy into a world that so much needs it. It’s so easy to distance ourselves. It’s so easy to close off, to stop feeling, and we all bravely keep feeling and that humanises people, that brings people out of the shadows. It brings visibility.”
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The actress then encouraged the audience and viewers at home to “keep telling stories to everybody in this room, to everybody watching abroad. Those of you who are not actors but have a voice, have a story that needs to be heard. Thank you for all of the compassionate souls in this room and all of the storytellers here tonight. Keep speaking your truths and keep speaking up for each other.”
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Gladstone, who is of Blackfeet and Nimiipuu heritage, starred in the Scorsese hit movie as an Osage woman who was married to World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart (played by DiCaprio), who was a major accomplice in the systematic assassination of the Osage people in the 1920s.
The film, which is based on a true story, has catapulted Gladstone's fame to new heights but also, has allowed the actress to make history throughout awards season so far.
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Already, Gladstone has become the first Indigenous actor to win a Golden Globe, bagging the award for best actress in a motion picture, drama back in January. She's also the first Native American actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, having been shortlisted for best actress.
While up against a lot of competition in this year's starry ceremonies, Gladstone has continued to advocate for Native representation in film and TV and has also acknowledged the need for a trigger warning for Native audiences when watching Killers of the Flower Moon.
She's previously said of the movie, which chronicles a brutal part of Native history, that Native viewers should “see it when and only if you feel ready, and see it with people you feel safe with. She added: “You’ll likely have a lot of generational grief to process. You’re not alone.”
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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