In The Light Of The Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon, (KOTFM) a compelling and thoughtful epic Western crime saga, received a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in May.  The story takes place at the turn of the 20th century, when oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight.  The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder.  Chronicling the Osage Indigenous murders and the birth of the FBI, KOTFM is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, and Lily Gladstone. However, rounding out this stellar cast are four remarkable Native American female actors who helped to create the heart of the story, speaking most of their dialogue in the traditional Osage language.  

COWGIRL was able to chat with all four women who portray the sisters and mother of Native American female lead Gladstone, who stars as Osage Mollie Kyle and is of Nez Perce and Blackfeet descent.  

** DISCLAIMER: All interviews were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA Strike **

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Tantoo Cardinal - Cardinal is of Dene, Cree, Metis, and Nakota heritage, appearing in such renowned Western films as Legends of the Fall, Dances with Wolves, and Wind River.   This stellar career continues with her role in KOTFM with the portrayal of Lizzie Q, Mollie Kyle’s rock-solid mother.

“My character represents the traditional Native side,” say Cardinal.  “I interact with my more contemporary daughters and see it is pretty obvious where the poison is coming from that is killing them, but much of Lizzie Q’s perspective is left to the audience’s imagination.  It was great working with Martin Scorsese, as he is very clear and doesn’t waste a lot of words.”

Having worked in film and television for more than fifty years, Cardinal, “feels that things are changing, and our roles are getting better, and the breadth of characters are getting wider; but of course, this depends on who the storytellers are, but there is still a lot of victimizing of women all across the board—Indigenous or not.” 

JaNae Collins - Collins’ Indigenous lineage boasts Sioux and Crow, and she has appeared in Longmire, Kindred Spirit, and Gunfight at La Mesa.  She co-stars as Mollie’s sister Reta, an ongoing victim in a violent marriage.

The character of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) is complicit in the murder of Mollie’s sisters, brother-in-law, cousin, and even her mother.  We asked Collins if her character Reta, who married her murdered sister Minnie’s violent husband after she was killed, believed that Ernest ultimately loved Mollie.  “I’m conflicted about that,” Collins explains.  “I don’t understand how he could have done that to our family with the goal of inheriting Mollie’s land grants.  It makes you question what his sense of love is when he allowed his children near an explosive blast that could have killed them, and did his greed not allow that love to blossom? Part of me wondered if he had a personality disorder, as he continued to live on the Osage Reservation until he died.”

Collins’ career is starting to take off. and she has a lot to say about Indigenous women in today’s entertainment business.  “It is a very good time period for Indigenous women,” says Collins.  “I feel that while growing up there have been opportunities for Indigenous male actors including Michael Grey Eyes, Graham Greene, and Rodney Grant, who have historically gotten a lot more coverage than our female counterparts.  In retelling our stories, it has been about Geronimo and Sitting Bull, but now you are seeing many more Native projects for women and less ‘pretend Indian’ roles.” 

Jillian Dion - Dion plays Minnie, Mollie’s youngest sister, and is of Metis descent and a member of the Lake Cree Nation.  After attending an open call during the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, Dion was cast in the mini-series Into the West, and then Legion.

“Minnie was the first victim and her husband was suspect from the get-go, but it was up to my imagination how to portray her as there was so little written about her,” Dion explains.  “I wanted to instill in her a sense of playfulness, as she was the youngest sister and even though she was on the lower rung of the family hierarchy, I didn’t want to play Minnie as weak or small, and as a real woman who was cast in this tragic way.  Once the family started to pass in an unnatural way, our mother Lizzie Q started to get suspicious.”

Dion is hopeful that the road is opening up for Indigenous actors, both male and female, as the stereotypes are starting to breakdown.  “I think that there is now room for the powerful women who are standing up for authentic storytelling.” This summer, Dion is mentoring and teaching at Tantoo Cardinal’s Academy for Metis Youth.

Cara Jade Myers - Myers is an enrolled member of the Wichita Tribe.  Born in Phoenix, Arizona, she has appeared on film and television in Rutherford Falls, Masters of Fear, This is Us, and Ward of the State.  She leaves an indelible impression as the free-spirited Anna, Mollie’s older sister.  Myers says that she loves the character of Anna, “because she is so full of life and that is one of the tragic things about her, as she is so ready to live and experience life.  She goes missing in the book on page one and is then seen in flashbacks throughout the film.  I don’t understand how Mollie was able to handle it after having all her family members stripped away.”

Myers and the other female actors in the film learned the Osage language and spoke it extensively in the movie.  “It was very difficult for me,” says Myers, “as I am dyslexic, and my mouth was not used to moving in that way.  But I had an amazing dialogue coach and wish I had retained more.” One of her concerns with the entertainment industry is, “although there are Indigenous roles,” she says, “I don’t always have to play Native American even though I am Native and when I book a nonspecific role, she is all of a sudden Indigenous.”

Killers of the Flower Moon opens in theaters on October 20, 2023, before streaming globally on Apple TV+.