"Marty just instinctively knew Lily was the one"- Leonardo Di Caprio on how Lily Gladstone became the heart of Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon is almost set to give the world a taste of Martin Scorsese at his best. Following the series of Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation during the 1920s, the film tells the story of people, native culture, and crimes that are hard to look past. In a gist, the film gives a glimpse at a bloody history that is way too well hidden in plain sight.

Apart from Martin Scorsese's two trusted collaborators, Leonardo Di Caprio, who plays the lead, and Robert De Niro, the film features Lily Gladstone, a proud Native American, who grew up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation that straddles northern Montana and the Canadian border.

The actress will soon become an international phenomenon in cinema if we were to take into consideration the great reviews of Killers of the Flower Moon and Leo's own words in a recent interview with British Vogue.

Leonardo Di Caprio revealed a few interesting things about casting the 37-year-old actress, including how Martin Scorsese instinctively knew that Gladstone was the perfect choice. He told British Vogue:

"Lily is absolutely astonishing in this movie,...She carries the entire film and the story....There was no reading,...Marty just instinctively knew Lily was the one.There was a truthfulness in your eyes that he saw even over a computer screen....I’ve never known [Scorsese] meet somebody and then immediately afterwards have this gravitational pull and instinct to say, ‘Let’s not wait another minute.’"

This was almost at a time when Lily Gladstone had been thinking about a different career path.

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Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone was reportedly considering a different income source

After Killers of the Flower Moon comes out, there will barely be any other way but to the top for Lily Gladstone, whose performance is already the talk of the town for critics. She also had some big roles previously, which should have set her on a path to the top.

Gladstone's roles in Reservation Dogs and Certain Women were strong contenders to put her among the big names in Hollywood, but they, unfortunately, did not. Speaking about the time, Lily Gladstone recalled:

"I was living at home with my parents,...I thought, I don’t want to move to LA, because I’m kind of an atypical actor. I think it’s going to be hard for me to find a place if I take that route."

Though two casting directors were thinking of her for Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone had almost given up on acting before the call came from Martin Scorsese. Instead, she was planning to help protect indigenous bumblebees. Gladstone recalled to British Vogue:

"I had, like, almost a parental love of bees at that time,...[I had] a fire in my belly to go after these invasive killers that were attacking the indigenous species…"

Eventually, Gladstone would partake in this epic drama about the series of murders and the socio-political struggle that dates back a hundred years. And it would change everything for the talented actress.

Killers of the Flower Moon will now get a theatrical release on October 20, 2023, before premiering on Apple TV+ on an unspecified future date.