Emma Stone is finally veering away from her usual modest roles after starring in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. Like Jennifer Lawrence’s R-rated film No Hard Feelings, Stone’s newest project would see her bare it all on screen.
Lanthimos spoke highly of Stone’s professionalism when it came to shooting her intimate scenes as if she had taken some notes from her friend Lawrence’s playbook. Indeed, the Easy A actress felt “no shame” filming n*de scenes as her character Bella Baxter.
Emma Stone Had No Inhibitions Filming Intimate Scenes In Poor Things
Speaking at the Venice Film Festival about the much-anticipated Poor Things, director Yorgos Lanthimos talked about working with Emma Stone and how she responded to the news of her having to bare her body in the movie. He stated (via Variety):
“First of all, s*x is an intrinsic part of the novel itself, her freedom about everything including s*xuality. Secondly, it was very important for me to not make a film that would be prudish because that would be like completely betraying the main character. We had to be confident Emma had to have no shame about her body, n*dity, engaging in those scenes, and she understood that right away.”
Stone felt comfortable working with Lanthimos and vice versa after a series of projects they had done in the past. The filmmaker revealed that when he proposed the idea to the actress, she had no qualms about it. He continued:
“The great thing about me and Emma is that we have made four films together; there is a shorthand, and we can communicate without having to explain or talk too much about things. As soon as I started saying something about s*x, she would say: ‘Yes,’ of course, it’s Bella. We will do what we need to do.”
Lanthimos also discussed about getting an intimacy coordinator to help the actors deal with their bed scenes. He spoke of Elle McAlpine:
“At the beginning, this profession felt a little threatening to most filmmakers, but I think it’s like everything: if you’re with a good person, it’s great, and you realize you actually need them. She made everything much easier for everyone.”
The film is based on Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things which resembles the story of Frankenstein. Apart from Stone, the cast also includes Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Jerrod Carmichael.
Venice Crowd Gave Standing Ovation For Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things
Emma Stone’s Poor Things received an eight-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, with the crowd erupting in cheers and words of support. Yorgos Lanthimos walked the Sala Grande Theatre balcony and signed autographs while meeting fans.
Unfortunately, Stone was not present during the event. It would have guaranteed louder applause from the audience if the main star of the film was up there with the director. The SAG-AFTRA strike was the culprit as to why none of the cast made it to the venue.
Some viewers did not appreciate the raunchy scenes, but Lanthimos already informed the public and the press that Stone wholeheartedly gave her all to do the explicit scenes.
Poor Things will arrive in theaters this December 8, 2023.
