Leonardo DiCaprio is honored to be a part of ‘Flower Moon’

Based on David Grann’s best-selling book about serial murders that took place within the oil-rich Osage Nation in the 1920s – the murders were described as the Osage Reign of Terror – Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon ” was released on 20 October.

The cast avoided promoting the film during the SAG-AFTRA strike, but with a compromise, DiCaprio joined Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and Scorsese for a virtual press event lasting more than 30 minutes on Wednesday. Participated to answer the questions presented during. ,

DiCaprio was asked about the challenges of playing a controversial and complex character like Ernest Burkhart. Under the influence of powerful uncle William Hale (DeNiro), Burkhart marries and betrays his Osage wife, Mollie, played by Gladstone.

When answering the question, DiCaprio pointed out: “The vestiges and remnants of the Osage’s reign of terror are generational, and it is still evident within communities in Oklahoma. And there we were a century later. Many injustices are happening even today.

“Playing Ernest and trying to bring truth to that character was, again, just about listening to those stories and trying to get as true a moment as possible in portraying Molly and Ernest.”

Continuing, DiCaprio said that what is fascinating to him about the “Killers of the Flower Moon” story is that the places most rich in resources are often drenched in blood.

“And we see this not just in America but all over the world,” he said. “This story is a microcosm of a much larger story about Indigenous people and land, and that’s still happening today. “For me, this was one of the most shocking revelations in telling this story.”

According to DiCaprio, in the film’s original script, the relationship between Ernest and Molly was “kind of a footnote” in a story about who committed the murders.

DiCaprio said, “And a lot of times, working with Marty (Scorsese), you realize that the story is secondary to him and his exploration of the human condition and what people are first on his priority list.”

The film’s story was revised to keep the Ernest-Molly relationship at the core. DiCaprio was originally going to play Tom White, an FBI agent called in to investigate the murders, but he was changed to Ernest and Plemons became the lawman.

“By the time I got there, it became clear how much work had already been done before I got there,” Plemons said. “I was sent this research packet with David Grann’s book as well as everything I wanted to know about Tom White.”

Gladstone was asked about the significance of the “Killers of the Flower Moon” team working closely with the Osage Nation. De Niro and DiCaprio answered questions about their continued collaborations with Scorsese. DiCaprio and Gladstone answered this question by how they worked through their characters’ relationship dynamics. To better understand Ernest and Molly, they met descendants of their characters.

DiCaprio said, “As far-fetched as it may seem to other people watching the film, who are shocked by the atrocities Ernest is committing and Molly’s understanding of what is going on, it is based on solid evidence.”

“And it’s based on a sense of community from the Osage of a story that, in many ways, they haven’t talked about openly. And so here we were, a hundred years later, bringing these ghosts and stories of the past to present-day locations and working with the direct descendants of this tragedy.

“All I can say is it was an honor to be a part of this film, to tell this story.”