How Emma Stone Prepared to Play Bella Baxter in Poor Things

Before Bella

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Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos first worked together on the satirical period piece “The Favourite.” Nine years before that film hit the screen, Lanthimos acquired the rights to Alasdair Gray’s award-winning 1992 novel, “Poor Things.” Studios repeatedly shot the then-up-and-coming director down. To an extent, we can understand why. The Greece-born Lanthimos had yet to make an English-language film, being virtually untested in other parts of the world. What’s more, Gray’s book centers on a woman who dies, gets resurrected by a scientist, and has her brain replaced with an unborn child’s. That doesn’t scream sound investment, but with “The Favourite” scoring ten Oscar nominations, Lanthimos was given the creative freedom to finally pursue “Poor Things.” Having witnessed Stone’s comedic wit and commitment as Abigail Hill, Lanthimos eyed her for the lead role of Bella Baxter. A month after finishing “The Favourite,” Lanthimos told Stone about “Poor Things” over dinner. Stone was eager to work with Lanthimos and “The Favourite” co-writer Tony McNamara again. While she hadn’t read or even heard of the book, Stone immediately fell in love with the idea of playing a character experiencing everything for the first time, maturing and changing as the story progresses. Stone was especially drawn to Bella’s lack of shame. The character would not only require her to strip away shame, but also self-judgment, a notion that she didn’t find easy, but Stone isn’t one to back away from a challenge.

Becoming Bella

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Stone and Lanthimos collaborated on the 2022 short film “Bleat” while “Poor Things” was in the works. Reading through the “Poor Things” script, Stone pinpointed ten stages in Bella’s development. Stone and Lanthimos broke this down into five stages, although much of the character would be fleshed out along the way. According to makeup designer Nadia Stacey, Stone said that they were “creating a woman from scratch.” While Bella starts her journey as a baby in a grown woman’s body, Stone decided against studying the behavior of toddlers, feeling it would come off as too “literal.” Stone opened herself up to experimentation throughout a three-week rehearsal process. The cast didn’t perfect their lines or learn blocking during this period. Rather, they participated in theater games. These exercises included rolling around like a log, tossing a ball while reciting dialogue, and becoming a human noodle. The cast was allowed to behave as silly as possible, shedding any embarrassment and building a family bond. The experience took Stone back to her days performing at Arizona’s Valley Youth Theatre. In a way, this mirrored Bella’s journey in the film. As Bella learns to walk, talk, and comprehend her surroundings, it almost feels like an improvisational theater game. By the end, though, Bella is complex enough to be a Shakespearean character, as if we just went through four years of theater school. Preparation wasn’t all fun and games. Stone took dance classes for Bella’s big number, which was carefully choreographed by Constanza Macras despite its spontaneous sentiment. Stone was responsible for one of Bella’s key physical features, dying her hair jet black. While the filmmakers wanted Bella to have dark hair, they didn’t envision it that dark. Lanthimos came to view it as a happy accident, feeling Stone’s hair paired well with her fair skin. Throughout Bella’s development, Stone would wear matching hair extensions, which reached a maximum of 42 inches. Bella’s untamed hair emphasizes her free spirit during an era when women were expected to restrain their hair in a dignified manner. The costumes tell a story as well, initially seeing her wear traditional clothing before adopting a more eccentric look that’s 100% Bella. Costume designer Holly Waddington considered her two sons while conceiving Bella’s offbeat attire. What’s concealed under the costumes was just as integral to Bella’s liberation. Stone had been nude on screen before, albeit not quite to this extent. A few reservations aside, Stone felt that nudity was an important component in expressing the absence of shame. As Stone saw it, if Bella didn’t possess shame, neither should the camera. While much of the creative decisions boiled down to Lanthimos, Stone’s additional role as a producer guaranteed that her voice would always be heard. Having worked together for several years, Stone and Lanthimos had already formed a trusting relationship. Stone also came to trust the film’s intimacy coordinator, Elle McAlpine, saying, “having her there felt like having both a safety net and a choreographer and a hand to hold.” For Emma, the hardest part of becoming Bella wasn’t the nudity or “furious jumping.” Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Stone said, “I just had fear of not living up to how great this character is.” Second guessing herself through the shoot, “Poor Things” became an exercise in overcoming anxiety. Stone has a history of anxiety, enduring her first panic attack at a friend’s house when she was seven. While in therapy, Stone drew a little picture book entitled “I Am Bigger Than My Anxiety.” Theater would also play an essential role in helping Stone to feel comfortable living in the moment. Stone has taken on many daring roles, but Bella Baxter brought out layers of fearlessness that audiences had yet to see from her. At one point, Stone described Bella as her “most difficult character” to date. Although Stone stands by that statement, she’s also come to view Bella as “the simplest character [she’s] ever played.” Bella is a character with no backstory. The person she was before taking a fatal fall, Victoria, is gone forever. Only Bella Baxter remains, although “Poor Things” is about Bella discovering who Bella is. To find the character, Stone had to keep taking elements away, which can simultaneously be a simple and complex process. Stone told Backstage that she finds “acting very soothing, even when it’s challenging.” In that sense, Bella may’ve been Stone’s most challenging and soothing role yet. It was also among the most acclaimed.

For her riveting performance as Bella, Stone won a Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, and BAFTA. Even with those accolades under her broken dress, Stone wasn’t expecting to win her second Best Actress Oscar seven years after “La La Land.” Many outlets were predicting Lily Gladstone for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which would’ve made her the category’s first Native American winner. Stone was as surprised as anyone when her name was called out. Although the internet framed this as a bitter rivalry, the truth is that Stone and Gladstone bonded on the awards circuit, even getting friendship rings they called “Infinity Stones.” Both embraced in a group hug with Annette Bening at the Oscars. Upon winning, Stone sang her fellow nominees praises, including a graceful Gladstone. The lack of diversity in the Academy and Hollywood is a much larger conversation that deserves another video. While Gladstone’s heartfelt performance was certainly worthy of an Oscar, it’s hard to say that Stone is undeserving. We’d dare say that this is Stone’s finest performance and one of the category’s best wins overall. Bella Baxter is an instantly iconic character, drawing parallels to figures like Frankenstein while still being a unique creation. Stone delivers a physical and transformative triumph, but it’s also an internal performance with Bella’s true growth occurring within. We’ll be analyzing this acting feat for years to come, solidifying Stone as one of her generation’s boldest performers. We can expect Stone to continue taking chances, her next project being Lanthimos’ anthology film “Kinds of Kindness.” Stone was sad to say goodbye to Bella, but the character’s life in the zeitgeist is just beginning. What did you think of “Poor Things?” Let us know in the comments.