Emma Stone is one of the most talented actresses in the industry currently, and her performance as Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things proves exactly that. The 2023 movie not only received critical appreciation worldwide but was one of the most talked-about movies of 2023.
Stone plays a character who has the brain of a fetus in an adult woman’s body and sets out on a journey to discover her. The actress won the award for Best Actress at the 96th Academy Awards for her exceptional performance. She is now returning to work with the filmmaker on their fourth collaboration after Kinds of Kindness.
Emma Stone following Leonardo DiCaprio’s steps?
Emma Stone is without a doubt an exceptional actress who has worked with Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ three movies, including 2018’s The Favorite, 2023’s Poor Things, and 2024’s Kinds of Kindness (releasing in June 2024). They also worked together on a short film titled Bleat. The actress-director duo recently appeared at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of Kinds of Kindness.
Deadline reported that the actress is once again looking forward to returning to Lanthimos’ set. She is going to play the female lead in the filmmaker’s upcoming adaptation of the 2003 South Korean movie Save the Green Planet. She will star opposite actor Jesse Plemons, with whom she appears in Kinds of Kindness.
The actress’ decision to once again collaborate with Yorgos Lanthimos almost hints like she is following the footsteps of Titanic actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor is known for teaming up with filmmaker Martin Scorsese in a total of six movies, including Shutter Island, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Killers of the Flower Moon. DiCaprio’s performances in all Scorsese movies have been lauded by the critics and the audience.
Stone & Lanthimos’ upcoming collaboration, Bugonia, will be their fourth (technically fifth) and follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap a high-powered CEO. The young men believe that the CEO is an alien who is going to destroy the planet. Succession and The Menu’s writer, Will Tracy, has penned down the script for the movie, with Focus Features acquiring the domestic rights for distribution. It will be interesting to see if Stone and Lanthimos could create the same magic Scorsese and DiCaprio do with their projects.
Emma Stone talks about working with Yorgos Lanthimos
At the press conference for Kinds of Kindness at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, the actress was asked about her working relationship with the filmmaker. The reporters at the press conference suggested that the actress seemed like Lanthimos’ muse, to which she said,
He’s my muse. I feel like I can do anything with him because we’ve worked together so many times. I trust him beyond the trust I’ve had with any director, and I’ve been lucky to work with great directors.
At one point, according to THR, the actress was asked during the conference about how her work with Lanthimos is contributing to feminism and activism. The actress very clearly mentioned that she picks up the parts because she believes they are interesting and challenging, not because of the message of the movie. She added,
I’m a feminist, and I like working with Yorgos Lanthimos. I guess that’s activism.
According to Deadline, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest movie received a six-minute standing ovation at the Grand Theatre Lumiere on Friday at the Cannes Film Festival. Kinds of Kindness is scheduled for release on June 21, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
How does Emma Stone’s collaboration pattern with Yorgos Lanthimos compare to Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese?
Stone and Lanthimos are reuniting for their fourth feature collaboration with Bugonia, following The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness. The article compares this repeated partnership to DiCaprio’s six-film collaboration with Scorsese, which includes Shutter Island, The Departed, and Killers of the Flower Moon, all of which received critical acclaim.
What is Bugonia about, and who stars alongside Emma Stone?
Bugonia stars Emma Stone opposite Jesse Plemons and follows two conspiracy theorists who kidnap a CEO they believe is an alien threatening to destroy the planet. The screenplay was written by Will Tracy, known for his work on Succession and The Menu, with Focus Features acquiring domestic distribution rights.
What did Emma Stone say about her working relationship with Yorgos Lanthimos?
At the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Stone said Lanthimos is her muse and that she trusts him more than any director she has worked with, crediting their repeated collaborations for that comfort. She also connected her choice to keep working with him to her broader identity as a feminist.
