The latter half of the 2024 Oscars on March 10 sparked the most uproar on the internet. One of the most anticipated awards of the evening was Best Actress in a Lead Role. Both Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone were nominated and received the biggest support from fans.
Stone is the leading actress in Poor Things, and Gladstone gave a stellar performance in Killers of The Flower Moon. The last five Best Actress in a Leading Role winners presented the award, including Sally Field, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Lawrence, and Charlize Theron, and the 2023 recipient, Michelle Yeoh. As a shock to Stone, and many people in the audience and the internet, Yeoh called out the name of the Easy A actress as the winner. In Stone’s acceptance speech, she acknowledged Gladstone’s specific saying, “Lily, I share this with you.”
As the Oscars norm goes, there were many predictions for the highly anticipated awards for the night, and for the most part, the night went as expected, excluding Gladstone’s snub. Gladstone’s nomination was already historical as they are the first Native American person named in the category. The win would’ve broken multiple records and been a milestone for Native people worldwide. As expected, the internet had much to say about Gladstone’s loss, as many were not pleased.
The consensus among fans is that Gladstone’s performance in Killers of The Flower Moon should have earned her an Oscar. For most of the 2024 award season, Gladstone has been recognized for her outstanding performance, winning Best Actress at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and The Golden Globe. Despite not winning an Oscar, Gladstone’s award season run has been historical for women, especially Native women.
Due to the high praise of Gladstone’s performance, many believe this is only the beginning of what’s to come for them and for all native actors and actresses who come after. Since Killers of the Flowers Moon saw such a great reception, hopefully, we’ll finally see more representation of Native stories from Native creators starring Native actresses and actors.