Osage actor talks Scorsese, 'Big Uncle Energy' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Since making his silver screen bow in "Killers of the Flower Moon," Yancey Red Corn has gotten lost in a maze with Willem Dafoe at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in California, helped introduce Martin Scorsese at the National Board of Review Awards Gala and chatted with Anne Hathaway about her 2010 movie "Love & Other Drugs" at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The Osage Nation citizen has even become a meme for exuding "handsome uncle" energy throughout the cinematic awards season.

Now, the Norman resident is getting ready to make his debut at Hollywood's biggest night: He will walk the red carpet and attend the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday as part of the "Killers of the Flower Moon" party.

"It's unreal! It's hard to not think about it this week," Red Corn told The Oklahoman. "I hope Martin Scorsese wins best director, because he deserves it, as well as I'm just hoping and praying and have my fingers crossed for Lily Gladstone to win best actress. ... And Scott George and the Osage drummers that are up for best song, those guys were brilliant — and the women singers really brought it, too — so I'm just proud to know all of them."

Filmed in and around Osage County in 2021, "Killers of the Flower Moon," is nominated for 10 Oscars, including best picture, at this year's Academy Awards, which will air live at 6 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

Oklahoma actor portrays an Osage chief in 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

"Killers of the Flower Moon" has brought to light a dark and often-overlooked chapter of Oklahoma history: The 1920s "Reign of Terror," a series of brutal murders of oil-rich Osage Nation citizens.

Scorsese's historical epic is primarily adapted from David Grann's best-selling book "Killers of the Flower Moon," but some scenes are from the 2005 novel "A Pipe for February." Red Corn's father, the late Charles H. Red Corn, wrote the book about the serial murders the Osage Nation endured in the 1920s on its northeastern Oklahoma reservation.

"The opening scene is verbatim from my dad's prologue," Red Corn said over lunch at Thirty Nine Restaurant inside Oklahoma City's First Americans Museum, where his mother, acclaimed Caddo and Potawatomi potter Jereldine "Jeri" Redcorn, devised the exterior of the 320-degree Origins Theater.

"His book is all based on fact with fictitious characters, so the lead, Molly, is a mixture of my grandmother and my great-aunts, her sisters. ... A lot of my dad's book is about how they embraced their culture and tried to get through what was happening."

For "Killers of the Flower Moon," Scorsese cast Red Corn as Arthur Bonnicastle, who served as Osage chief from 1920 to 1922.

"He was very learned in the Osage ways, but also in the modern world. So, I knew that he was an intelligent Osage, and I was just proud to play that in Chief Bonnicastle," said Red Corn, who also played Preacher Paul in the final episode of the trailblazing Oklahoma-made series "Reservation Dogs."

Osage performer rewrote some of his 'Killers of the Flower Moon' lines

The Osage actor praised Scorsese's spirit of collaboration and devotion to authenticity on the Apple Studios' film," which was evident when Red Corn questioned his lines in one of his biggest scenes.

"When I read the script on those, the chief sounded like he was really resigned ... like 'we might as well give up.' And I said, 'I don't think he'd say that, because I know the character. He was a great warrior,'" Red Corn recalled. "He (Scorsese) listened ... and he said, 'Well, write it up and email it to me.' So, I wrote what I thought he would say, and he was like, 'Fine.' And it went into the script."

When Red Corn performed the scene opposite Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Plemons, fellow Oklahoman Julie O'Keefe, the Osage costume consultant on the movie, said she got chills.

"He just delivered it, and when that was done, I cried," O'Keefe told The Oklahoman. "He really brought it. It's believable and it's true, and I just am so proud of him and of Talee."

Red Corn's cousin, Talee Redcorn, plays Non-Hon-Zhin-Ga, a traditional leader of the tribe, in the fact-based cinematic epic.

"We grew up together ... and we've been able to travel all around to the different film festivals that they've had. So, it's really brought us close together, as well as (close to) the other Indigenous people that are in the film. It's really been an honor to work with all of them," Red Corn said.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' leads to mentorship and memes for Osage actor

The Osage actor said the bond he forged with Scorsese on "Killers of the Flower Moon" has stayed strong. Red Corn and his sister, Dr. Moira RedCorn, recently finished recording the voices for the audiobook for "A Pipe for February." After writing the foreword for the recently republished novel, Scorsese has promised to record it for the audio version.

Plus, the Oscar-winning icon has become a mentor to Red Corn's son, Miles T. Red Corn, an aspiring filmmaker who worked as the publicist's assistant on "Killers of the Flower Moon." Since, Red Corn's son has penned a miniseries adaptation for "A Pipe for February."

"He sent it out to Scorsese's office, and they looked at it and Scorsese made some suggestions. Didn't make a lot; he said it was great. ... They put it probably three or four weeks ago into Apple's hands to see if they'll take it," Red Corn said. "And it comes from the Osage point of view."

For Red Corn, the effects of "Killers of the Flower Moon" on his life will continue even after the Oscars are over. He will appear on a panel called "Big Uncle Energy" at this year's IndigiPop X, or Indigenous Pop Expo, set for April 12-14 at First Americans Museum.

It's a reference to Red Corn's unexpected emergence as a "huncle," or "hot uncle," in memes circulated on Native American social media sites after he posted his awards season photos with actresses like Emma Stone, Margot Robbie and Salma Hayek.

It remains to be seen which A-listers he will mingle with Sunday at the Oscars.

"I just play along with it. ... Tribal people have a sense of humor," Red Corn said, laughing. "Who knows if I'm going to do other stuff; I'm talking to different agents. ... So, I'm just living in the moment."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Yancey Red Corn talks about working on 'Killers of the Flower Moon'