CANNES – David Grann‘s acclaimed novel “Killers of the Flower Moon” has gone through a number of interactions to finally get to the big screen. One constant, however, has been director Martin Scorsese and star and producer Leonardo DiCaprio‘s commitment to do right by the Osanage Nation, who are at the center of tragic events the book depicts in the 1920s. And for Scorsese, that responsiblity became even more profound after he experienced a ritual during his first meeting with the leaders of the indigeounous group.
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“This is what grounded me. I knew when what I heard what their values are, love and respect and loving the earth,” Scorsese says during a press conference at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. “I’m not talking about a political issue about really understanding how to live on this planet. I found that the values were so important to me. It reoriented me. Every time they spoke. It just reoriented me as to what we are doing here. Yes, we’re making a movie, but what we are doing here on earth? It seemed to lock in. And actually, we began a process. I wanted to know everything I could about the Osage. Everything and it’s overwhelming.”
DiCaprio notes, “It felt like a very important moment, especially in how the Osage community embraced us telling us this story and gave us the trust in our adaptation of the novel and to them here with us side by side to tell such a personal tragedy to their entire community was a beautiful moment. And I just took a lot of mental pictures it’s something I will never gonna forget. We took pride in being able to tell this story the best we could and were just incredibly happy they were by our side.”
The film centers on Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and his wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone), who as a member of the Osage community, has financial rights to the oil boom that turned Fairfax County, Oklahoma into one of the richest counties in the United States. Unbeknownst to Mollie, her mother and sisters (all of whom also have oil money flowing in), is that cattle farmer William Hale (Robert De Niro), is not the friend the Osage nation thinks he is. More distrubing is the fact as Osage begin to die from seemingly natural and unnatural causes, the more white men begin to secure the indivdual drilling rights. Chief Standing Bear says that early on he asked Scorsese directly how he would approach this pivotal moment in Osage history.
Chief Standing Bear remarked, “He said ‘I am going to tell the story about trust. Trust between Molly and Ernest. Trust between the outside world and the Osage and the betrayal of those trusts. Deep betrayal.’ And my people suffered greatly and to this very day those effects go with us. I can say on behalf of the Osage, Marty Scorsese and his team have restored trust and we know that trust will not be betrayed.”
Gladstone, whose background is Blackfeet and Nimíipuu, believes that Scorsese’s involvement will mean the persecution the Osage have faced will no longer be lost to history.
“Who else is going to challenge people to challenge their own complicity with white supremacy in such a platform as this man here? Other artists are doing that work. People listen to what this one says,” Gladstone notes. “Y’know we’re talking about the 1922, Osage community. We are talking about Black Wall Street in Tulsa. Why does the hell does the world not know about these things? Our communities always have. It’s so central to about everything in how we understand our place in the world. We also still need this. We need these allies.”
The 36-year-old actress received critical kudos for her turn in Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 drama “Certain Women,” and has earned even more acclaim for her “Killers” performance. At this point, however, she’s not that interested in doing a deep dive into her perparation for the role.
“Molly was a trick in holding true to not only how she is perceived in the book but the legacy she left in the community,” Gladstone says. “By playing an Osage woman who conducts herself with grace and measure. But also humor and unshakeable strength. It’s the reason that those of you who have seen the film, it was the driving force behind what the end needed to be what it is.”
Gladstone continues, “I almost don’t want to talk about an acting process. When it comes to her it I had to be there and receive what the community told me she needed to be. What my own family has told me about my great-grandmother Lily, Molly’s contemporary, who was also devoutly catholic but also a very traditional Blackfoot woman. All of those things. I’m not so sure it’s me finding it as it’s finding me.”
On the other hand, even months after filmming and copious research, De Niro admits he still doesn’t understand a lot about Hale’s motivations.
“He has to be charming. He has to win people over. Why he betrays them in this way, all I can do is do my best,” De Niro says. “I think part of it with him I guess is sincere. It’s just the other part where he’s betraying them. There is kind of a feeling of entitlement. It’s almost you could say, [something] we became a lot more aware of after George Floyd with systemic racism. And low behold what happened there, which we never knew of, was the Black Wall Street massacre, while we were shooting. It’s the banality of evil. It’s the thing that we have to watch out for. And we see it today because we all know who I’m going to talk about, but I’m not gonna say the name. Because that guy is stupid. Imagine if you were smart? Even Hale was smart in many ways, it’s something that is systemic.”
“I heard there were some Osage that were at his funeral,” Gladstone adds. “They believed until the day he died that he was their friend and he wasn’t guilty of what he was charged of.”
The longtime Scorsese collaborator then finally names the obvious modern parallel to Hale.
“I mean look at Trump,” De Niro finally says as laughter fills the press conference room. “I’m just saying. I hate to say it. But we see what that is. And there are people who think he could do a good job. Imagine that. Imagine how insane that is. That’s all I’m saying.”
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