Emma Stone.
Emma Stone has received high acclaim for her lead performance as eccentric Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film “Poor Things.” However, in a recent interview, the acclaimed actress revealed she severely doubted herself in the role early on in the production.
Speaking with director Lanthimos for Variety, Stone got candid about the intense pressure she initially felt despite her great eagerness to play Bella:
“I felt like I was failing [Lanthimos] and failing her in the first week…It was just difficult. I could talk to him about it. I think because I had lived with [Bella] in my mind for so long and I was so deeply in love with Bella, it terrified me not to live up to her as a character.”
Pushing Through Self-Criticism to Triumph
Even as a decorated performer with an Oscar under her belt, Stone still grapples with the same self-criticism and anxiety that haunts many artists.
However, the trust she shared with Lanthimos empowered her to work through the early challenges.
“I could talk to Yorgos about it, and we were able to discover as we went. And because it’s a safe environment, it doesn’t feel rushed.”
Now on the other side of production and promoting the release of “Poor Things,” Stone can certainly look back proudly on bringing the peculiar Bella Baxter to life so vividly.
Her candor about overcoming creative doubt in the process makes the triumph that much more meaningful. Emma Stone’s stellar turn in “Poor Thing” demonstrates that even among the greats, stepping into a new character requires courage to navigate uncertainty until fully finding one’s footing.