Lily Gladstone’s Oscar-nominated role as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon has been hailed as one of the greatest performances of the year. Based on a true historical event, Burkhart was a central figure in what was referred to as the Osage Indian Murders or the Reign of Terror, a genocide against citizens of the Osage Nation from 1921-1926, in which at least 60 of Burkhart’s family members were killed.
Lily Gladstone may be relatively unknown to many moviegoers who loved her scene-stealing performance. But the Native American actress, who is of the Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce Nations, has several high-profile credits to her name, including Reservation Dogs.
Who does Lily Gladstone play in ‘Reservation Dogs?’
On Reservation Dogs, Lily Gladstone portrayed Hokti Sampson in two episodes, across seasons 2 and 3 of the show, as of Oct. 2023. Hokti is the mother of Daniel Jackson, who dies before the events of the series, as well as the auntie of Wilhelmina Jacqueline “Willie Jack” Sampson.
Hokti, a medicine woman, turned away from her practice and split from her husband, Danny Jackson, after their son’s death. Shortly after, Hokti was sentenced to serve time in prison, resulting in an estrangement from her remaining family. However, Gram, a deceased ancestor of Hokti and Willie Jack who walked the Trail of Tears has been communicating with Hokti from the afterlife to resume what she had left behind.
After her incarceration, Willie Jack gets in contact with a very reluctant Hokti, visiting her in prison. During the visit, Willie Jack presents her with an unopened letter from her deceased son, and the two decide to use the letter as a moment to reconnect with their ancestors. Later, after the death of Old Man Fixico, one of the last remaining consultants on traditional Mvskoke medicine left on the reservation, Hokti decides to reconnect with the community and resume her old profession.
Lily Gladstone filmed Killers of The Flower Moon in 2021, long before she appeared on Reservation Dogs across 2022 and 2023. Gladstone cites Martin Scorsese’s decision to cast her in his film as a U-turn in her consideration to potentially quit acting after a string of professional disappoints encouraged her to consider a career in data analysis.
Well, data analysis’ loss is our gain!