UM Alum Stars in New Scorsese Movie ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Exciting news and a great reason to visit the theater starting on October 20, with the premiere of the new Martin Scorsese film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, which features a familiar name to Montanans, Lily Gladstone, a graduate of the University of Montana.

KGVO News spoke to UM Director of Strategic Communications Dave Kuntz on Monday about the premiere and the deep UM and Montana connection to one of its stars.

UM Alum Lily Gladstone Stars in New Martin Scorsese Story

“This week ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, which is a big movie production that I'm sure folks have been seeing ads for, opens up nationwide and celebrates our very own Lily Gladstone who plays a leading role in the movie,” began Kuntz. “The university was able to rehab a profile that we did have on Lily back in 2016, and it is certainly a fun piece to read in retrospect now that she is becoming a big Hollywood star, but her roots are firmly planted here in Montana and at the University of Montana, and we're really excited to see one of our very own alumni take on such a big role in the national stage.”

Learn More Details about Lily Gladstone's time at UM

Kuntz provided more details about Gladstone’s time at the University of Montana.

“Lily grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation and came to the University of Montana where she learned and worked with a lot of our faculty in the School of Theatre and Dance, who are still on campus today,” he said. “It's been fun here at the university to watch her climb the ladder over the last few years and take on bigger and bigger roles, as she's ultimately related with this big production that's happening and opening nationwide on Friday.”

Kuntz said during Gladstone’s last visit in 2016, she provided important input and assistance for local theater and at UM.

Gladstone Returned in 2016 to Help at UM and at the Children's Theater

“We're really excited to have Lily be a part of this university, and we hope that telling her story proudly and loudly will help pave the way for future performing artists who want to come to the University of Montana and learn alongside our great faculty,” he said.  “Lily has been so generous. She was able to come back to campus and 2016 as we worked on this profile with her, and she spent some time here in town with the Children's Theatre and other entities, and so we're really excited to see where her career goes from here.”

Lily Gladstone, who was born on Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation and graduated in 2008 from the University of Montana, will star in the film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The film opens this Friday in Missoula.