Of course, now, that is all changing.
Here is the story of Lily Gladstone’s journey so far.
Their father is of Nimiipuu and Blackfeet heritage and their mother is white.
Life on the reservation was removed from the outside world and was all about community.
Luckily, their parents could not have been more supportive regarding Gladstone’s love of performing.
“She had a very significant impact on American culture.”
However, over the years, Gladstone realized that what they really wanted to do was act.
It all began when their dance teachers started suggesting they try acting instead of dancing.
“I was very performative in my roles,” Gladstone said of their early dancing experiences.
“I wasn’t getting cast in roles like the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I was getting the Rat King.
I was very much a character actress.”
When her parents explained that they were simply acting, she realized she could be part of that world.
“I really, really, really wanted to be an Ewok,” she said.
“So, if I want to be an Ewok, I’ve gotta be an actor.”
As the actor toldThe Guardian, they made the move to find more “economic opportunities.”
Living in a suburb proved to be a whole new world for Gladstone.
Living in isolation from their community was, they said, a “culture shock.”
In fact, she became a young advocate for Native Americans.
She also explained how she channeled her real-life experiences for the audition.
“This was when the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were huge,” she said.
Screaming for the Disco Boys!"
“Theater and acting changed that.
I loved being on stage.”
In her high school yearbook in 2004, she was voted most likely to win an Oscar.
You are here because you want to study theatre," Gladstone later recalled toThe Guardian.
“As soon as you disconnect from the human experience, you’ll be flat.”
Despite this teacher’s warning, other teachers saw Gladstone’s potential.
“She’s absolutely a transcendent actress.
We were lucky to have her.”
He even noted that she would have what it took to deal with the ups and downs of showbiz.
Gladstone graduated in 2008.
Some of the shows even involved conversations with the students.
“Teens are the toughest audience,” she said of the experience.
“It was really rewarding but incredibly exhausting work, as any teacher will attest.”
The film also starred Benicio Del Toro and Gina McKee and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Oddly enough, the movie saw Gladstone returning to shoot in their old hometown of Browning, Montana.
“That was incredibly surreal,” the actor toldMake It Missoulain 2014.
“I will never forget the moment filming at the Browning train station.
I remembered traveling out of there as a kid.”
The film won Best Picture at the London Film Festival and Gladstone was widely celebrated by critics.
However, with “Certain Women,” it was a different story.
“You just wonder if it’s going to be sustainable,” they said toThe Hollywood Reporter.
“So I had my credit card out, registering for a data analytics course.”
Gladstone had auditioned for Scorsese’s film “Killers of the Flower Moon” about a year earlier.
“I assumed that I’d blown the audition,” she recalled toInterview.
Throughout the production, the pair became fierce friends.
It began with DiCaprio inviting Gladstone to his house to discuss their characters.
she recalled to The Telegraph.
“So he’s like, ‘You smoke?’
We went through a pack of cigarettes, sitting there, talking about Ernest and Mollie.”
Since then,Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio remain friends.
“I don’t necessarily like the cliche of opening doors.
It’s setting the table.
So that’s nice.”
And based on what we know about Gladstone’s passion and determination, we’re sure she’s right.
