Lily Gladstone, a 37-year-old actress, recently shared her admiration for Cate Blanchett in an exclusive interview. She expressed her disappointment when Blanchett lost the Best Actress race at the 1999 Academy Awards for her role in the biographical period drama Elizabeth. Gladstone described Blanchett as her ultimate actress and the great talent of this generation.
Despite Blanchett not winning the Oscar that year, Gladstone mentioned that Blanchett has been kind to her during their encounters. The two have crossed paths several times, with Blanchett showing support for Gladstone's film, Killers of the Flower Moon, for which she is nominated for Best Actress.
During their interactions, Blanchett advised Gladstone to keep up on adaptogenic mushrooms as a self-care ritual. Gladstone appreciated this advice coming from one of the most brilliant actors alive.
Gladstone's nomination for Best Actress at this year's Oscars is a significant achievement. She is nominated alongside Annette Bening, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan, and Emma Stone. In Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone portrays Mollie Burkhart, a real-life member of the Osage Nation whose family members were tragically killed over oil reserves.
Being of Siksikaitsitapi and Niimiipuu heritage, Gladstone is the first Native American actress to receive an Oscar nomination in her category. She follows in the footsteps of Merle Oberon and Keisha Castle-Hughes, who were the first Indigenous actresses nominated in the category in 1935 and 2003, respectively.
Gladstone expressed her excitement about attending this year's Oscars and sharing the impact of her film. Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Jesse Plemons, can be streamed on Apple TV+.
The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be broadcast live on Sunday, March 10, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, starting at 7 p.m. ET.