Gray was greatly concerned when he heard that Hollywood had taken interest in this painful chapter of Osage history. “Were we going to become second-tier characters in our own story?” He was amazed.
Instead, Gray said, “Imagine our surprise when Scorsese reached out to us and met with us, and listened to us, and effectively rewrote large portions of the script.”
After originally focusing on the federal investigation, the writers reworked the script to focus on the story of Mollie and Ernest Burkhart.
“You’re going to watch this movie and the Osage influence, you’re going to be able to feel it,” Gray said.
He hopes the film’s October 20 US release will spark debate about “the people who were stepped on” to “make the country what it is today”.
Gray said: “People might not want to talk about it. It’s not in our history books.” But, he added, “We need to know our past, especially our mistakes… so that we don’t repeat them.”
Margie Burkhart also hopes the film will keep memories of the Osage’s severe trauma from fading. He said, “In two, three years from now, when the film is extinct, I hope people will still be talking about it.”