Lily Gladstone could make history at the Academy Awards for 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

LOS ANGELES -- Lily Gladstone made history with her Oscar nomination as best lead actress for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

Gladstone, who is of Siksikaitsitapi and NiMíiPuu heritage, is the first Native American woman to be nominated for best actress. She is up for her performance in "Killers of the Flower Moon," a film chronicling the series of real-life murders of members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma, known as the Reign of Terror.

No Indigenous or Native American actor has ever won an Academy Award for acting. Wes Studi, who is Native American from the Cherokee Nation, was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2020.

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Since her nomination, Gladstone took home both the Golden Globe and the SAG Award. She feels the historical weight of winning an Oscar.

"It's a lot to fall on one person. I think like a nomination is a dream for any actor. Just getting to work is a dream for any actor. But carrying this historic moment can feel like to much sometimes in the moment, but the fact that it is shared, it feels like it belongs to everybody," Gladstone said. "I think 20 years from now, I'm probably going to remember the outpouring of support."

Though she is the first Native American to be nominated in the category, she is not the first Indigenous nominee. Other known Indigenous best actress nominees include Yalitza Aparicio for 2018's "Roma" and Keisha Castle-Hughes for 2003's "Whale Rider."

"It's overdue, and it's not the first," she said to ABC News after hearing she was nominated for the Oscar. "I remember how I felt when Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated as the first Indigenous best actress in 'Whale Rider' and seeing that film, seeing a young woman lead that kind of immense work and that kind of groundbreaking shift in the world, that was such an inspiration to me."

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is up for 10 Oscars this year. The film, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, scored a best picture nomination as well as a best director nomination for Martin Scorsese, among others.

The film is now playing in select theaters and streaming globally on Apple TV+.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' actress Lily Gladstone made history with her Best Actress nomiation. She reflected on this groundberaking moment for her heritage and career.