Emma Stone had ‘no shame’ with her body while filming nude scenes for her upcoming Frankenstein-inspired dark comedy Poor Things
Emma Stone was not ashamed of her body while filming raunchy scenes in the upcoming dark sci-fi comedy titled Poor Things.
The 34-year-old actress stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal new film, and the filmmaker was grateful for the effort she put into the intimate sequences of her alter ego Bella Baxter in the adaptation of Alasdair Grey’s novel.
The Greek director was speaking at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where Poor Things premiered at the Sala Darsena cinema on Friday, though none of the cast attended due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
“It’s a shame Emma couldn’t talk more about this because it will all come from me. First of all, sex is an intrinsic part of the novel itself, its freedom from everything, including sexuality,’ Yorgos.
The 49-year-old filmmaker continues: ‘Secondly, it was very important to me not to make a film that would be prudish, because that would be tantamount to betraying the main character completely.’
‘No Shame’: Emma Stone had ‘no shame’ with her body while filming raunchy scenes in the upcoming sci-fi dark comedy titled Poor Things; seen in May in Italy
Latest role: The 34-year-old actress stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal new film and the filmmaker was grateful for the effort she put into the intimate sequences of her alter ego Bella Baxter
“We had to make sure that Emma didn’t have to be ashamed of her body, nudity and participating in those scenes, and she understood that right away.”
Lanthimos has worked with Emma on projects like The Favorite, which has kept them from discussing the sex scenes for too long.
‘The nice thing about Emma and me is that we made four films together; there’s shorthand and we can communicate without having to explain things or talk too much,” he said.
“As soon as I started saying something about sex, she said, ‘Yes,’ of course, it’s Bella. We’ll do what we have to do.’
The director hired Elle McAlpine as an intimacy coordinator for the film and praised her positive influence on the film.
Lanthimos said, “At first this profession felt a bit threatening to most filmmakers, but I think it’s like anything, when you’re with a good person, it’s great and you realize you really need him. She made everything much easier for everyone.’
Yorgos further discussed the Frankenstein-inspired project and attempted to “describe” the film at the press conference in Venice, per The Hollywood reporter.
“It’s very hard to describe. There have been a lot of movies through time that were unique and exceptional, but I think there may not be many similar movies in our time, so it’s hard for me to say what it is,” he explained.
Opening: The Greek director spoke at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where Poor Things premiered at the Sala Darsena cinema on Friday; Yorgos seen in Venice on Friday
“Confident”: “We had to make sure that Emma didn’t have to be ashamed of her body, nudity and participating in those scenes and she immediately understood that,” said the Greek filmmaker
Although Poor Things is set in the Victorian era, the director stated that the film “feels very contemporary” as the film explores “freedom and the way we perceive the world” as well as “the position of women in society.”
Yorgos also explained that sets for Poor Things were built so that only a limited number of individuals could film the sex scenes. “So that created a very comfortable, intimate environment,” he said.
He also continued to discuss the sexually explicit scenes with the Oscar winner, adding: “We sat down with Emma at one point and decided what kind of position we would do here, what kind of things we would do there, and what is missing… ‘
‘From the experiences of sex and the different desires people have – to make enough of a presentation of human desires and idiosyncrasies.’
The director said, “It was important to all of us to make that part of the movie and not shy away from it. And it’s also very funny sometimes.’
Poor Things, which initially began development in 2009, has yet to receive an NC-17 or R rating.
Besides Stone, other stars cast in the sci-fi fantasy include William Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Margaret Qualley, Jerrod Carmichael and also Christopher Abbott.
Discussions: He also continued to discuss the sexually explicit scenes with the Oscar winner, adding, “We sat down with Emma at one point and decided what kind of position we would do here, what kind of things we would do there, and what was missing. ..’; actress seen in January
Positive response: After the film ended, the project received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience, according to Variety; seen in Venice on Friday
Participants: Despite the cast members not attending due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, other stars joined Yorgos on the red carpet such as Neelam Gill and Barbara Palvin
The premise reads: ‘The incredible story of the fantastic evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe),’ said one IMDB Summary.
Poor Things officially had its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival on Friday. Despite the cast members not attending due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, other stars joined Yorgos on the red carpet such as Neelam Gill and Barbara Palvin.
According to Variety, the filmmaker was applauded as he entered the theater and took his seat. At the conclusion of the film, the project received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience.
Poor Things – selected to compete for the prestigious Golden Lion – will hit theaters later this year on December 8.