Emma Stone continued a busy week of events with a stop at this year’s Critics Choice Awards. The Poor Things actress wore a custom black Louis Vuitton one-shoulder dress with scalloped detailing. She accessorized with a diamond necklace and earrings. Her dress even had a “BB” detailing on the tie, likely a nod to her Poor Things’ character Bella Baxter.
Stone is up for Best Actress tonight for her role in Poor Things.
Stone spoke during The Hollywood Reporter’s Actress Roundtable about what rehearsals for the film were like. The interviewer mentioned the film’s director, Yorgos Lanthimos, was known for playing games with his actors.
“I was out there about a month before we started shooting, and we did about three weeks of rehearsal,” Stone recalled. “None of it is literal, you’re not blocking out the scenes or going through the lines in the way that it will happen on camera. You’re doing games where you’re all kind of tied together. True theater games. Everyone has to shut their eyes and walk around, and one person is assigned to put a chair under them as they sit. It is just completely silly. You embarrass yourself in front of each other and then you get really close, really quickly. So by the time you’re on set, you feel like you know each other really well, and you can experiment and be free and make fun of each other. And it’s no eggshell experience with your other actors, which is really, really helpful.”
Stone also addressed how she prepared to play Bella in the film. “[I had to] unlearn and unprepare,” she said. “Because she’s in a full-grown healthy body, it’s not like you could even compare it to someone who’s been in an accident and is relearning how to walk or how to move. Looking at videos of toddlers beginning to walk, their bones are still growing and they’re still forming, so she doesn’t have that. There was nothing to compare it to. We just experimented with things, and [Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos] was like, ‘No, that’s insane.’ She’s just my favorite character of all time because of that unlearning. She’s totally without shame. She’s pure joy and curiosity and experimentation and adventure and has no qualms about her body or her experience or food or drink or the way she relates to other people.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.