While everyone keeps hoping that some positive news from Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone will come out, it seems like it has only made headlines in recent months when negativity is swirling around it.
This time, it didn’t come directly from anyone within the show or the creator, though a rather prominent actress voiced some not-so-glowing opinions about the Kevin Costner-led (for now) show.
Lily Gladstone, who is primarily known for her role in the TV series Reservation Dogs, as well as her upcoming part in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, sat down with Vulture for an interview and didn’t hold back on her feeling towards Sheridan’s “cowboy series.”
She mainly spoke about her upcoming role where she’ll star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in a film about members of the Native American Osage tribe being murdered in the 1920’s, which led to a massive FBI investigation. The movie, which releases this October, looks to be another great film on the long list of Scorsese’s iconic storytelling.
When speaking about the Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone succinctly described the picture as:
“It’s not a white-savior story. It’s the Osage saying, ‘Do something. Here’s money. Come help us.’”
The talented Native American actress happily signed on to play a role in Scorsese’s newest piece of work, only because she knew that it was going to accurately portray the role of Native Americans in the story. Gladstone feels strongly about stories regarding Indigenous characters, saying:
“There’s that double-edged sword. You want to have more Natives writing Native stories; you also want the masters to pay attention to what’s going on. American history is not history without Native history.”
So when she was asked about the Yellowstone universe and the Native American representation in the series, she had some strong words for the show while also admitting that she had tried to become a part of it in the past. Gladstone said of Sheridan’s western-themed storytelling:
“Delusional, deplorable. No offense to the Native talent in that.
I auditioned several times. That’s what we had.”
Lily was basically saying that for actors and actresses of her heritage, there weren’t many roles being offered in Hollywood when she auditioned. However, it sounds like she would have begrudgingly joined on to the show if she would have been cast alongside the likes of Kevin Costner (John Dutton), Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler), and Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton).
Many people are looking forward to the release of the Killers of the Flower Moon, but Gladstone’s comments might sour Yellowstone fans from supporting the upcoming film. Even though Yellowstone itself can’t seem to figure out when they’ll band together and finish their own show…
