‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’: Lily Gladstone Says Martin Scorsese’s Latest Is “Not A White-Savior Story”

There’s all sorts of reasons Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers Of The Flower Moon” is one of 2023’s most anticipated movies. For one, it’s Scorsese’s first film since 2019’s “The Irishman.” It’s also the first time the director and Leonardo DiCaprio work together since “The Wolf Of Wall Street” a decade ago. But “Killers Of The Flower Moon” is also more than just a simple adaptation of David Grann‘s revered book. IndieWire reports (via Vulture) that according to star Lily Gladstone, Scorsese’s film is a “great rewrite” of Grann’s account of the Osage County murders, and one that’s decidedly “not a white-savior story.”

READ MORE: ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ Review: Lily Gladstone Is Devastating In Martin Scorsese’s Indigenous Epic [Cannes]

Initially, Scorsese planned to adapt Grann’s nonfiction book about the murders more directly, with DiCaprio starring as FBI agent Tom White, who heads to Oklahoma to investigate a string of murders on Osage land. But during the pandemic, Scorsese and script co-writer Eric Roth decided to take the story in another direction. Instead of centering on White, the pair chose to focus on the Osage community, with particular emphasis on Gladstone’s Mollie. DiCaprio’s role shifted from White to Mollie’s husband Ernest, with Jesse Plemson taking over as the FBI agent.

For Gladstone, Scorsese’s decision to focus on the Indigenous community of the Osage instead of White’s FBI investigation was a masterstroke. “It’s not a white-savior story,” the actress said to Vulture about the upcoming picture. “It’s the Osage saying, ‘Do something. Here’s money. Come help us.'” But while Gladstone gladly took on the role of Mollie for the film (“you don’t say no to that offer [of working with Scorsese],” she joked), she did admit that “there’s a double-edged sowrd” when it comes to telling Indigenous stories like the Osage County murders. “You want to have more Natives writing Native stories; you also want the masters to pay attention to what’s going on,” Gladstone explained. “American history is not history without Native history.”

And making “Killers Of The Flower Moon” proved to be a delicate process for Scorsese. The Indigenous community in Gray Horse, Oklahama became an integral part of the film’s production after they invited Scorsese to dinner in 2019. “It was clear that I wasn’t just going to be given space to collaborate,” Gladstone said about her and Scorsese’s involvement. “I was expected to bring a lot to the table.” And the Indigenous community expected both cast and crew to be “equitable” to their history while filmling. “That’s what being equitable is,” the actress continued, “not just opening the door. It’s pulling a seat out next to you at the table.”

Gladstone’s comments echo similar ones she made to Empire earlier this year. “A lot of people are really wanting to call this ‘Martin Scorsese’s Western,'” the actress told the magazine. “White Natives and Westerns, we are so dehumanized that it just kind of feels like we’re part of the landscape – instead of humans that are telling a story.” In Gladstone’s mind, “Killers Of The Flower Moon” is “a great American tragedy,” and one whose success as a film could prove essential in other Indigenous stories, especially told from an Indigenous perspective, being made into big-budget films in years to come.

After it screens at the BFI London Film Festival, “Killers Of The Flower Moon” opens in theaters on October 20. Afterwards, it streams exclusively on Apple TV+. Watch a trailer for Scorsese’s latest below.