Actress Lily Gladstone Shares Her Expertise With UM Acting Class

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated Montana actress Lily Gladstone took the time just last week for a ZOOM teaching session with University of Montana drama students to share her knowledge and expertise with those following the same path in the entertainment world.

KGVO News spoke with UM’s Director of Strategic Communications Dave Kuntz for details of the ZOOM visit that occurred the Monday before she learned of her nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Martin Scorsese film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.

Golden Globe winner and Oscar Nominated Actress Lily Gladstone ZOOMs with UM

“One of the real advantages of attending a big flagship university like the University of Montana is that alumni network that is built,” began Kuntz. “Here at UM that number of UM alums is up over 100,000, and while they all do different things, and many of them give back in different ways, it is great when we do have a high-profile alum like Lily Gladstone, whose willing to donate her time to talk to students who are who are in the shoes that she used to fill in the school theater and dance.”

Kuntz said the ZOOM ‘master class’ was specifically for theater and dance students at UM.

UM Spokesman said Gladstone is Always Willing to Encourage Students

“Last week Lily was able to carve out some time and did what’s called a Master Class over ZOOM with a lot of our theater and dance students to answer their questions,” he said. “She talked about her journey and provided some career advice, and we hope that it's the beginning of some real connections between these students and the alum we hope to be an Academy Award winner here in a few weeks.”

Of all the high-profile UM alumni, Kuntz said Gladstone has always been willing to share her experiences and her journey as a Native American student and actress with other students.

Kuntz said Gladstone Wants to Give Back to other Native American Students

“She still has really strong relationships with some of the faculty who were here when she was on campus about a decade and a half ago and has been really willing to give back in any turn. We've worked with her here at the University marketing departments, through publications in the Montana Magazine in recent years, and she's always been somebody who's really willing to give back to the young community and really help guide students and not just students in our theater and dance department, but also Native American students and Montana students who are really going through the same process that she went through a decade and a half ago.”

Kuntz said Gladstone is a sterling example of how hard work and dedication to her craft learned at the University of Montana can help inspire other Native American students to follow in her footsteps.