Nearly two decades ago, Lily Gladstone’s high school classmates voted her Most Likely to Win an Oscar. That could prove prophetic on Sunday, March 10, when her 20th high school reunion becomes an Oscar watch party amid her lead actress nomination.
Gladstone, 37, is the first Native American actress to be nominated for an Oscar.
The Killers of the Flower Moon star revealed on Wednesday, February 14, during an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that her classmates made their upcoming reunion a watch party. When Gladstone mentioned that her classmates had voted her Most Likely to Win an Oscar, the host asked whether she thought anyone remembered.
“Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, it’s our 20-year reunion, so the 20-year reunion is kind of building around a watch party for the Oscars, it seems, which is really sweet,” she replied.
The reunion-turned-watch-party was initially planned for Gladstone’s old high school theater, but demand soon exceeded the room’s capacity.
As her old high school friends gear up for the party, Gladstone said she loves seeing the yearbook photo of her and fellow actor Josh Ryder, her fellow “most likely” award winner, go viral.
“Having these moments and seeing Josh Ryder out there, who’s a fantastic actor. Anybody in the Seattle area go check out Betty Restaurant and Bar, ’cause he’s the owner there,” she said on Wednesday. “It’s been incredible to have this moment to reconnect with all these old friends.”
For his part, Ryder reacted to the news and the resurfaced photo on Instagram, posting, “It’s so f–king cool to see @lilygladstone soar. Elegant and empowering others; she continues to be a class act. I’m over the moon for this badass babe. Go, Lily, go!”
Gladstone seems thrilled with how her nomination has brought old friends back together. “One of the nicest things about it, honestly, is the way that it’s kind of reunited my high school class,” Gladstone told Entertainment Tonight. “Everybody’s so excited about this.”
She’s not the only Oscar nominee to reconnect with her high school classmates. Bradley Cooper recently recounted to Jimmy Fallon how he attended his 30th reunion and even helped set up. “I was early, and I put the sign out front. It said ‘Germantown Academy,’” he shared last year. “And then people came and I welcomed them.”
Gladstone, unfortunately, won’t have the same opportunity since she will be at the Oscars rather than the reunion and watch party.
“I’ll wave to everybody from the stage, I guess,” she said.
