The Killers of the Flower Moon the cast and crew were dedicated to accurately portraying the Osage culture.
In a behind-the-scenes clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE on Indigenous Peoples Day, director Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone discuss staying true to the language spoken on the Osage Nation.
“We’re making a movie about a historical event that’s central to Osage history, so of course it’s important that we speak that language,” says Scorsese, 80.
“We wanted to be as authentic as possible, and using the duality of English and Osage was symbolic of the intertwining of the two cultures,” adds DiCaprio, 48.
Gladstone, 37, says that “Osage speech changed the way it was [she] moved” like her character Mollie.
“It took months for me to adjust to a different pace of speech,” adds the actress, who is of Indian descent.
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JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
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Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ received a 9-minute standing ovation at Cannes
“This is the 1920s, when people still spoke the Osage language every day,” notes Geoffrey Standing Bear, Principal Chief of the Osage Nation.
Regarding Robert De Niro’s commitment to his role, Osage language professor/translator Christopher Cote says the actor was “very serious” about speaking the Osage language and how to do it.
“So we met every day, the right gestures and voice,” adds Cote about De Niro (80).
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Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
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Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone Star in Epic New ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Trailer
The main roles are played by DiCaprio and Gladstone Killers of the Flower Moon as Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle, who begin an “unbelievable romance,” according to the official synopsis.
Based on David Grann’s 2017 bestselling true story of the same name, the film is “an epic western crime saga where true love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.”
“Oil brought wealth to the Osage Nation, who overnight became some of the richest people in the world,” the synopsis added. “The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white intruders, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much of the Osage money as they could before resorting to murder.”
The cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepard, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
Killers of the Flower Moon it’s in theaters on October 20.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education