Leonardo DiCaprioandLily Gladstonewanted to rootKillers of the Flower Moonin real history.
(you could also listen to the full conversation on the latest episode of EWsAwardistpodcast.)
What do you both remember most about filming that scene?
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio talk ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.Apple TV / Paramount Pictures
LEONARDO DICAPRIO:Youre always taking an outside perspective of what you want the audience to be in on.
We were hyper-focused on how to tell this love story.
And that doesnt mean we had all the answers right away.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.Apple TV+
But it became this hyper-focused journey, and we wanted to connect these two characters in a real way.
There was a love that they had for each other.
Obviously, Ernest did deplorable things, but they kept insisting that this was the truth.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.Apple TV+
That was what was most fascinating to me.
It was shocking, to say the least.
LILY GLADSTONE:And I thank him a lot because transitioning between scenes, he didnt drop Ernest.
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.Apple Original Films
So, as Mollie, it helped me see somebody that she would be interested in.
I really appreciated that.
When we were working, we worked together very easily.
When we were volleying things back and forth, there was a natural cadence that developed.
He also wanted to learn how Ernest would help Mollie put her blanket on or take it off.
So, we developed this actors language for these two characters that ends up being very seamless.
And it all goes to serve that grand betrayal.
I know you did a little bit of improvisation in some of those scenes, right?
GLADSTONE:I think the one youre referring to is what we were just talking about.
Marty remembers it slightly different than it happened but its the handsome devil line.
DICAPRIO:He basically suggested that line to me, and then I said it.
But we wanted the concept to remain, the idea of this handsome devil or these devilish blue eyes.
That was the initial line.
So, the reactions you get from his improvisations can be very authentic.
So, hell throw something out of left field.
How do you wrap your head around that contradiction?
GLADSTONE:Its kind of set up in that same scene were just talking about.
Ernest was not the first white man that Mollie courted.
There was an element where this was a kind of mutual beneficial relationship.
We wanted a modern audience to be invested.
When we look at love stories from that era, they were different back then.
How much of classic cinema do we infuse to make this the piece of art that it is?
The love story proved to be a very good fertile ground to have a lot of those conversations.
I know you both got to meet and speak with Margie Burkhart, whos Mollies real-life granddaughter.
What did you take away from your conversations with her?
GLADSTONE:I think Margie was still very puzzled about how it was possible.
She knew there was love there.
Ernest declared until his dying day that he loved Mollie.
One of the biggest confirmations of that is that Ernest learned Osage fluently.
And Osage, we can both say that its not an easy language to learn.
She said it felt like maybe thats how it would have played out.
Leo, youve obviously worked with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro before.
What was it like working with them on this?
DICAPRIO:I wouldnt categorize it as quiet or talking more.
Look, those are two of my creative heroes in this industry.
They almost communicate through their minds.
Im fascinated by the relationship between Ernest and Hale.
It has this twisted, paternalistic vibe to it, and thespanking scenein particular is so interesting.
What do you remember most about filming that sequence with De Niro?
And Hale in a lot of ways is an abusive uncle.
Hes mentally abusive to Ernest, who is also complicit in all of these horrific acts.
But Hale has a sort of mental lock on him that he cant break free of.
We had so many different conversations about the dynamics of what that relationship would be.
The more we talked about it, the more it became that less is more.
Its not a big attack on one another.
I know you actually filmed in Fairfax and Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
What was it like to actually film in the location where these events happened?
You feel it in the land and in the place, but mostly you feel it in the people.
It was such a gift to be able to be within the Osage community.
Some of my closest friendships were molded during this period of time.
For me, I think its so important when youre telling a story like this to maintain community accountability.
Maintaining these friendships that I made, its keeping that going on my part.
So, it would have been on that night.
But it shows you that it was impactful.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
