Actress Emma Stone sex scenes has defended graphic sex scenes in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Oscar-tipped film Poor Things, saying they are true to her character’s experience.
Stone plays Bella, a woman brought back to life using the brain of her unborn child by an unconventional scientist.
Viewers follow her journey as she experiences the world anew and enjoys a sexual awakening.
“Bella is completely free and without shame about her body,” Stone told Radio 4’s Front Row.
The film, widely expected to be nominated for this year’s Oscars and Baftas, has attracted attention for its nudity and sex scenes.
“So much of this was about being true to Bella’s experience. It [the sex] is obviously a huge part of her experience and her growth, as it is, I think, for most people in life,” Stone explained.
“But I see it as just one aspect of many – her discovery of food, philosophy, travel and dance. Sex is another aspect. Bella is completely free and without shame about her body. She doesn’t know to be embarrassed by these things or to cover things up or not dive into the full experience when it comes to anything.
“So for the camera to sort of shy away from that, or to say like, OK, well, we’ll just cut all of this out because our society functions in a particular way… it felt like a lack of being honest about who Bella is.
“I’m not a person that just wants to be naked all the time, but I am someone who wants to honour the character as fully as I possibly can. That’s part of her journey.”
Lanthimos, who also directed Stone in his Oscar-winning film The Favourite, said the premise of the film “allows for a human being, in particular a woman, to get to know the world on her own terms and get a new start from scratch and have no social structures”.
The film, based on Alasdair Gray’s book of the same name, also stars Mark Ruffalo opposite Stone, and has been garnering awards since it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Stone won best musical or comedy actress at the Golden Globes earlier this month, where Poor Things was also named best musical or comedy film.
Poor Things’ Controversy Explained
- Emma Stone discusses the comfortable and choreographed nature of Poor Things‘ sex scenes.
- Stone believes the scenes were necessary to Bella’s journey and growth, and they often felt clinical and funny to her.
- Despite controversy, the film has received positive reviews and numerous accolades, suggesting the sex scenes haven’t negatively affected its reception.
While Poor Things has received positive reviews overall, some audience members and critics have taken offense at the excessive nature of the sex scenes that are a part of Bella’s journey of self-discovery. Throughout the movie, Bella is re-educated to live after Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) reanimates her body with a baby’s brain. To discover what life has to offer, she takes off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) and discovers sex with him, which she repeatedly practices.
As a result, the movie contains many sex scenes. One of the most controversial involves Bella having sex with a father, who brings his own children to witness him in the act, so they can learn about it as they observe him. That’s been the subject of recent controversy due to reports that the scene would not have been able to get its 18 certificate in the United Kingdom with the original cut of it intact.
Note
Despite the controversy, Poor Things won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Stone also won the Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
