Leonardo DiCaprio: “The Osage massacre is an open wound that continues to rot”

“It’s a completely forgotten episode of American History,” explains the star about Killers of the Flower Moon, filmed exactly 100 years after the fact.

The filming of Killers of the Flower Moonthe next film from Martin Scorsese, was held in 2021, exactly a century after the start of the Reign of Terror, the name given by the Native American Osage community to the period of violence depicted in the film. In an interview with Voguethe headliners Lily Gladstone And Leonardo DiCapriowho plays the mixed couple at the center of the film, speak about its historical legacy.

“It is a completely forgotten episode of American History. (…) And an open wound that continues to rot.” It is in these terms that DiCaprio describes the series of murders perpetrated against the Osage, which constitute the plot of the book by David Grann and its adaptation by Scorsese. In addition to the 100 years that separate the filming of the film from the event it describes, Leonardo DiCaprio speaks of another disastrous anniversary. The actor resided during filming in the city of Tulsa, in which a century earlier, white supremacists attacked an African-American community in the city.

Lily Gladstone wears Killers of the Flower Moon, according to Leonardo DiCaprio

“It was pure coincidence to be present exactly 100 years after the start of the Osage Reign of Terror and 100 years after the first murder of the Black Wall Street Massacre which took place in Tulsa, explains the actor. There were television cameras everywhere, people in the street were talking about nothing else. It was very important for me to realize that these were two sides of the same coin… people of color who were independent and wealthy in the middle of a large, incredibly racist white population who wanted to take over these resources for everything. price. (…) Look at what is happening in Indonesia or the Amazon. These are places that are home to incredible resources but are also the most steeped in blood.” Strong words, which also fit with the actor’s public commitment to the environmental and climate fight.

Heralded as a major film in the representation of Native Americans, Killers of the Flower Moon will be released in theaters on October 18, 2023.

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