How Emma Stone became Bella Baxter in ‘Poor Things’
An entirely unique movie requires a completely original performance to emerge as the best possible version of itself, something that’s undeniably true of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and the incredible work of Emma Stone in the lead role.
Playing a dead woman who undergoes a brain transplant with her unborn baby, Bella Baxter embarks on a rapid journey of self-discovery that begins with having the mind of an infant in an adult body. This naturally pits the childlike sense of wonder against a myriad of increasingly offbeat external factors.
It’s something that not a lot of performers could pull off to such a jaw-dropping degree, but whether it’s the slapstick-style physicality or the more emotional moments, Stone proves herself up to the task and then some. She’s gathered plenty of accolades and awards along the way, quickly becoming Lanthimos’ newfound muse in the process.
On paper, it would make the most sense for Poor Things to shoot chronologically to give Stone the chance to move through the gears as she channels each stage of Bella’s ongoing arc. Still, as the actor explained to Bradley Cooper when they interviewed each other for Variety, that wasn’t the case.
“We realised that we needed to create stages for her, so we made it five,” Stone explained. “In Baxter’s house, we basically did stage one and stage five because we only had that location then. And then we did the middle of the movie. ”
As part of her preparations, Stone had “a monthlong rehearsal process with the other actors” but also rehearsed on her own. To get into the right mindset, she developed her approach to communicating Bella’s unique position in the world.
“I went into it being more literal than I needed to be, watching videos of a toddler learning to walk or how someone says their first words,” she continued. “Because she’s in this fully formed, adult healthy body, her relationship to not knowing how to walk, it’s not even like you could compare it to someone who’s just been in an accident and is recovering and learning to walk. She’s completely fine. It’s just her brain that hasn’t caught up, which was great because there was nothing to compare it to.”
There was plenty of trial and error along the way until Stone found her way into the character to a level she was satisfied with. It was aided by a rehearsal process that familiarised her with not just the other members of the Poor Things ensemble but the delicate blend of pratfalling, comedy, drama, and pathos that made Bella such a memorable figure. After giving one of 2023’s most acclaimed performances in one of its finest releases, the method evidently works.
