When Lily Gladstone was nominated for the lead actress Oscar for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” she sparked a wave of hope inside and outside Hollywood that she would become the first Native American to win the prize, in the Academy Awards’ 96th year.
And though she received a robust wave of applause when her name was announced during the presentation of the nominees, her journey ended in disappointment as “Poor Things’” Emma Stone claimed the lead actress honor instead.
Awards
“Oppenheimer” won several top awards, including best picture, director and lead actor, while lead actress went to Emma Stone for “Poor Things.” Billie Eilish won best song after Ryan Gosling performed “I’m Just Ken.”
March 10, 2024
“It’s not about me — it’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts,” said Stone, in tears, upon claiming her second lead actress Oscar, having previously won for “La La Land” in 2017. There was surprise in the room and even on stage: Jennifer Lawrence, one of the presenters, lifted her hands to her mouth in shock as Michelle Yeoh read Stone’s name.
The honor followed on the heels of her BAFTA win for Yorgos Lanthimos’ puckish spin on the costume drama, in which Stone plays a woman who finds liberation and self-actualization after being brought back to life by an eccentric surgeon. As a producer on the film, Stone also was nominated for best picture, capping off a triumphant year offscreen as well: Through Fruit Tree, Stone’s production company with husband Dave McCary, she also was behind acclaimed TV series “The Curse,” recent indie release “Problemista” and Sundance darlings “I Saw the TV Glow” and “A Real Pain.”
Awards
Oscar winners “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” Emma Stone and more took home Academy Awards during Sunday’s ceremony.
March 10, 2024
The other nominees in the category were Annette Bening (“Nyad”), Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), and Carey Mulligan (“Maestro.”).
“Killers of the Flower Moon” came up short in other marquee categories, including Robert De Niro for supporting actor and Martin Scorsese for director. (Gladstone’s co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, was not nominated for his leading role.) Indeed, as awards season entered its later stages, it became apparent that Gladstone represented the film’s best chance for an Oscar win.
She received near-universal acclaim for her performance as real-life figure Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who is targeted along with other members of her family and the broader Native population of Osage County, Okla., during the 1920s as part of a murderous plot to steal the rights to their oil-rich land. And since the film earned a nine-minute standing ovation last May when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Gladstone had gone on to win precursor awards from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild. Still, some Oscar watchers feared that her relatively limited screen time and the narrative’s focus on DiCaprio’s character might hurt her chances against a more traditional leading role like Stone’s.
Awards
Here are all the looks from the 2024 Oscars red carpet, from Emma Stone to Emily Blunt, Lupita Nyong’o to Zendaya.
March 10, 2024
Those concerns came to pass Sunday when Stone’s name was called, putting an end to Gladstone’s historic campaign. Gladstone, who is of Siksikaitsitapii/Nimíipuu heritage, was born in Montana and grew up on the Blackfeet reservation. She joins the likes of Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”), who is Māori, and Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), who is Mixtec and Triqui from Mexico, among the Indigenous women who’ve been nominated for lead actress but did not go on to win.
March 11, 2024
March 11, 2024
Feb. 12, 2024
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Follow Us
A lifelong Los Angeles resident, Greg Braxton has written for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. He currently is a staff writer covering television for the Calendar section, and has also written extensively about trends and cultural issues in the entertainment field.
Awards
March 11, 2024
Movies
March 11, 2024
Opinion
March 11, 2024
Awards
March 11, 2024
Awards
March 11, 2024
Awards
March 11, 2024
Music
March 11, 2024
Television
March 10, 2024
Awards
March 10, 2024
Subscribe for unlimited access
Site Map
Follow Us
MORE FROM THE L.A. TIMES

source