Lily Gladstone was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night to talk about Killers of the Flower Moon but, of course, also to campaign for Oscar. We’re a week and a half away from the SAGs and the BAFTAs, where she was NOT nominated. The SAGs are going to be really interesting because right now, Emma Stone is considered the frontrunner. But if Lily takes the SAG, are we heading to a photo finish?!
The point is, campaigning is critical right now, Lily showing up on late night television is part of the strategy. And this is new(ish) for her. She doesn’t have years and years of experience on this circuit. Which is why it was so great to see her last night, on Valentine’s Day, sitting with Stephen, charming him with her Valentine’s Day card, and talking adorably about her high school yearbook and the prediction, from 20 years ago, that she would end up winning an Oscar.
Such a smart story to share – and remember, these are typically stories that are loosely worked out in advance. Otherwise Stephen wouldn’t have had the page from the yearbook mocked up on a card to display on the show. That’s what happens on talk shows, usually there’s a pre-call to work out what anecdotes the guest might like to expand upon when they start rolling. So however it is that they arrived at this anecdote, whoever it is that suggested it, is on their game. Oscar voters watching that moment will now have that in the back of their minds, that they can create a full circle moment on March 10 if Lily wins Best Actress.
You know what I also love here? Her honesty. Lily Gladstone is never going to be that person who claims they were sleeping or doing anything but paying attention to the Oscar nominations on the morning they were announced. She is the first actress, Indigenous to America, to be nominated for Best Actress. This is historic, and she tells Stephen that she wanted that history to be represented in both places – which is why she chose to be with Osage Nation on the Osage Reservation that day, while facetiming with her parents.
It was her way of honouring the people whose experience she was portraying in the film and also honouring the people who gave her life. This is powerful, this is purposeful, and it’s also practical. It can be all those things – she is, after all, trying to win an Oscar, and it’s OK to want to win an Oscar. For her in particular, winning an Oscar carries that much more meaning, not just for her but for her community.
It’s a great interview, if you haven’t already, check it out below.
