Lily Gladstone makes history with Golden Globes best actress win

Lily Gladstone achieved a Hollywood milestone at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards with her win as best actress in a feature film.

Her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon” earned her the prestigious honor on Jan. 7. Gladstone’s win marked the first time an Indigenous person has taken home the prize for best actress.

Gladstone, whose family heritage includes Blackfeet and Nez Perce, spoke proudly of her heritage during her victory speech and post-win press appearances.

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“I love everyone in this room right now, thank you,” Gladstone said as she accepted her award. “I don’t have words. I just spoke a bit of Blackfeet language, the beautiful community nation that raised me, that encouraged me to keep going, keep doing this.”

Gladstone spoke in Osage and English for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which told the story of an Osage woman married to a man who was an accomplice to the murders of Osage People in the 1920s. Her performance also earned awards from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle.

Despite her previous wins this film season, Gladstone recognized the impact of her Golden Globes win.

“This is an historic one,” she said from the stage. “It doesn’t just belong to me. I’m holding it right now…I’m holding it with all my beautiful sisters in the film and my mother [in the film], Tantoo Cardinal.”

She also expressed more gratitude to the trailblazers behind her in her post-award press conference.

“I’m holding this because there were so many people that did so much good, the Osage Nation, first and foremost,” She said. She also thanked director Martin Scorsese and co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro for their support and talent.

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Before the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, two other Indigenous people received nominations. Irene Bedard earned a best actress nomination in a miniseries or TV for “Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee.”  Director Taika Waititi received nominations in 2020 for “Jojo Rabbit” and “Reservation Dogs,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the final part of her acceptance speech, Gladstone dedicated her award to young Indigenous people who have dreams and can see more representation of their culture.

“This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other,” she said.