Many pundits thought Lily Gladstone would win the Academy Award for best actress for her work in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but she lost out to Emma Stone for “Poor Things.”
It was one of the bigger surprises during the 2024 Oscars night and left many fans seething that Gladstone had been shortchanged.
Earlier this year, Gladstone won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in the Martin Scorsese drama, so there was some momentum on her side. Stone had also won a Golden Globe Award and a Critics Choice Award for her role, so her performance had also clearly resonated with a larger audience.
Even without winning, Gladstone had already etched her name in history by becoming the first Native American person to receive a best actress Oscar nomination. She had previously marveled at the field of nominees.
“This is such an amazing year: the performances, every film. It’s staggering,” she told TODAY in January after being nominated.
Gladstone’s loss fell in line with how the entire night went for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which failed to win any Oscars after garnering 10 nominations. Fans on X couldn’t help but lament how she didn’t get any Oscar glory.
“there is so much lily gladstone has to be proud of. she is the beating heart of killers of the flower moon. it simply wouldn’t have been made without her. she is a winner in my heart,” one person wrote.
"THE PEOPLE’S OSCAR WINNER LILY GLADSTONE," another person gushed about her.
"lily gladstone robbed," someone else captioned a video of an incredulous looking Elmo.
"lily gladstone you are MY oscar winner," another person wrote alongside a photo and video montage of the actor.
"Guess we’ll just have to keep casting Lily Gladstone in great movies with great scripts until she gets her moment too. I’m in if you are," one fan wrote.
Another fan raved, "Lily Gladstone not winning does not take away from the fact that she gave one of the best performances of the year. Her performance and the film will live on long after tonight is over. Her wins have been historic and trailblazing. She already made history."
But some people pointed out that Stone was a deserving victor, even while commending Gladstone on her performance.
"Listen, Lily Gladstone is fantastic in Killers of the Flower Moon, but please refrain from under-valuing the flat out miracle performance Emma Stone gave in Poor Things," one user commented on X. "It’s a part that could have (and maybe should have) been a disaster, but turned out extraordinary."
Another person commented, "Lily Gladstone is incredible and obviously should’ve won, but I think it’s weird to act like it was a crime against art they gave the award to an actor whose performance had to shift and evolve every three scene in a feat of powerful athleticism and artistry."