Emma Stone. “Sex is a piece of the puzzle”

Few characters offer as dense and bold a score as Bella, the Victorian heroine of the new Yorgos Lanthimos. Few actresses would dare to take on this role without a filter, even risky. But then the favorite Emma Stone is ready for any challenge for the Greek filmmaker, who has become one of the leading figures of independent cinema. In poor creatures A fable with a gothic aesthetic, won the Golden Lion in Venice, American star and muse Louis Vuitton plays a woman resurrected by a mad scientist who, though she wakes up in an adult body, is at first only a stuttering, honest, infallible being. But over the course of two hours, he discovers the world, its terrors and pleasures, to conquer his intellectual and physical autonomy. It’s a lifetime the Oscar-winning actress is going through in quick succession. La la land with this transgressive and fully emancipated character, even with his sexuality. Sort of Bride of Frankenstein has been reimagined in light of MeToo, which has already earned it a Golden Globe nomination (the film is up for seven) and makes it one of the Oscar favorites.

Madame Figaro. – Bella is a heroine on the sidelines, free, unfettered. Did this inspire you? ?
Emma Stone. – When he wakes up, he is like a child, free from everything. He is not conditioned, he does not know what society expects from him, he knows neither shame nor prejudice. She insists on her right to make mistakes and creates herself with a fierce appetite for freedom that puts her above everything: sex, conventions, the male gaze… She is not a character who suffers and, when faced with cynicism and misery, she. does not look away. For him, the only way to change the world is to look it in the face and experience all aspects of it.

Are you trying to do the same as an actress of your choice? ?
Somehow. As I have been fortunate enough to choose my roles, I try to portray characters that reflect the complexity of women. Which is no less than men.

What do your characters teach you? ?
Such. This is the advantage of this profession, which, apart from its intellectual part, allows you to live in a different space than yours. Bella, for example, changed my view of the world and myself. We all make mistakes that shape us, but we tend to forget that when we make deep judgments about others or ourselves. Understanding that we are also the fruit of family and social heritage allows us to thrive more peacefully in this world.

Poor creatures it is a feminist film ?
I can’t think of anything more feminist than a story about female empowerment. Bella doesn’t choose to be reborn, but what she chooses to become is up to her. This, after all, is what we all strive for. He is a symbol of what we would gain from embracing our curiosity and letting go of judgment. Unfortunately, even though it’s 2024, there’s still a debate about what women should and shouldn’t be allowed. It never helps to remember that they should be treated as equal men and that they should have the right to control their own bodies.

I can’t think of anything more feminist than a story about female empowerment.

Emma Stone

You became one of the muses of Yorgos Lanthimos. What are you connected to? ?
Today through friendship, but above all through common sensitivity. Although he seems less extroverted than me, Yorgos also cherishes his freedom and likes to work only in a caring context, with a certain lightness. We both take our work seriously, but without taking ourselves seriously.

Was this confidence necessary to accept nudity and sex scenes? ?
It was necessary. However, if being naked on set is a source of vulnerability, crying or playing the piano with your feet, like Bella does, gives you just as much fever. Sex is only one part of the puzzle. if she indulges in carnal pleasures, Bella has an equal interest in food, philosophy, travel, dancing… It is this integral experience that allows her to form her own opinion. world

Did you work with an intimacy coordinator on set? In France, they struggle to find their place…
I myself was against that idea, but I was wrong. The trust I had in Yorgos seemed to me to be enough, but it was not negotiable for him. Elle McAlpine has created a very safe environment for all the actors and, like a dancer, has come up with choreography that allows the intimate scenes on screen to be more realistic. He was an artistic collaborator like everyone else.

Although he seems less extroverted than me, Yorgos (Lantimos) also cherishes his freedom and likes to work only in a charitable context, with a certain lightness.

Emma Stone

Few actresses in puritanical Hollywood have your audacity. Is it difficult to move sliders? ?
What Yorgos offers is rare, including in the representation of intimacy, but I didn’t perceive it as an obstacle. It’s an aspect of character like any other. Sexuality and body discovery is a part of the human experience that we try to fully explain here. Why should we look away while Bella embraces her body? Not showing this side would be the result of a social construction to which the character is alien. This would make no sense and would promote this belief that women should be ashamed of their desire.

Are you a film producer? What do you look for in the projects you support? ?
In France, auteurs are really respected, they have the final say, and I doubt that many directors there get production notes that stifle them. But in the United States, many filmmakers struggle for their artistic independence and see their projects taken away from them. I wanted to help them realize their vision all the way, playing mediator, facilitator, even bad boy. But, for the love of art, I take on the role of the villain.

Poor creaturesWith Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe… Released on January 17.