Venice 2025: ‘Bugonia’ star Emma Stone reveals her belief in aliens
At a press conference for Bugonia at the Venice Film Festival, Emma Stone declared that she believes in aliens.
The new Yorgos Lanthimos movie, which stars Stone alongside Jesse Plemons, follows two conspiracy-obsessed friends who kidnap a high-powered CEO of a major corporation due to a belief that she’s an alien who is set on destroying Earth.
Bugonia is premiering in competition at Venice on August 28th, and before the screening, the main cast fielded the big questions at a press conference, which saw Stone be asked whether aliens are “looking upon us and maybe saving our lives”.
Stone began by saying (per Variety), “I don’t know about looking down on us, but one of my favourite people who has ever lived is Carl Sagan, and I fell madly in love with his philosophy and science and how brilliant he is.”
The Oscar-winner continued: “He very deeply believed the idea that we’re alone in this vast expansive universe, not that we’re being watched, is a pretty narcissistic thing. So yes, I’m coming out and saying it, I believe in aliens.”
The director, who wore a Palestine pin badge at the press conference, also fielded the same question, but instead kept his cards close to his chest, remarking, “That’s a very complicated question to answer in a serious way.”
Stone has previously worked with Lanthimos on The Favourite, Kinds of Kindness, and Poor Things. The American actor said of why she gravitates towards the director’s work, “I love the material that he’s drawn to and the worlds he wants to explore, and the characters that he’s been generous enough to let me try my hand at.”
Two years ago, Poor Things won the coveted ‘Golden Lion’ at the Venice Film Festival, and later won four Oscars, including ‘Best Actress’ for Stone.
Elsewhere in Venice, George Clooney was forced to miss the press conference for his new movie, Jay Kelly, due to a sinus infection.
Bugonia is set to be released in cinemas on November 7th, 2025.
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