Martin Scorsese thinks the length of 'Killers of the Flower Moon' "felt right" despite complaints about the runtime.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Lily Gladstone cover Variety (c) Art Schreiber
The 81-year-old filmmaker's epic new movie is over three hours long and he admits that he is at a loss at how to respond to those who think that picture should be shorter.
Scorsese told Variety: "I really don't know how to respond to it except for the fact that many people seem to go with it. Some people say, 'I want to see it again.'
"Not every film is for every person. Not every novel is for every reader, not every painting, etc. I don't know if it's something that will be universally accepted. This one felt right (at this length), and I felt that while I was watching it. I felt inside of it."
Lily Gladstone has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the movie as Mollie Burkhart – the wife of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Scorsese recalled how he opted to cast the star immediately after seeing her performance in the film 'Certain Women'.
The 'Taxi Driver' director said: "What I saw Lily do in 'Certain Women' – how she commanded the space and the screen and the emotional impact of what appeared to be minimal and very internal – that's what I was looking for.
"We had just started developing the character, and I felt that Lily had it in her. That she would seriously find her."
'Killers of the Flower Moon' was particularly poignant for Gladstone as an indigenous actress and DiCaprio reflected on how she became a key figure in putting together the plot.
The 49-year-old actor said: "I think that beyond her talent and her ability to embody Mollie the way she did, she became an authority and a partner on how to craft the story.
"We based this film on an unreliable protagonist, inspired by films like 'A Place in the Sun', 'The Heiress', 'Red River' and movies like that from the 40s. My character is lurking in the shadows.
"But Lily was there when we needed to get to the core of certain answers about the relationship. Lily was Mollie to us. Marty can attest to that. She always seemed to have the answer."
Read the full interview at https://variety.com/2024/film/features/flower-moon-leonardo-dicaprio-oscar-snub-runtime-backlash-osage-1235887633/
Tagged in Leonardo DiCaprio Martin Scorsese