Emma Stone wins second place in this category for her contentious performance in the historical fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
At the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Emma Stone took home the best actress Oscar for her role in Poor Things.
Stone won for her performance as Bella Baxter in the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed historical fantasy comedy, which is based on the Alasdair Gray novel and starring Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, and Ramy Youssef. The figure, whose body is an adult with a child’s brain transplanted, has generated controversy because of the film’s excessive amounts of nudity and sex.
Stone had to beat a competition that included the well favored Lily Gladstone for Maestro, Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall, and Killers of the Flower Moon. After winning the award for best actress in 2017 for La La Land, this is Stone’s second such victory. She had previously received two nominations for best supporting actress, one for The Favourite in 2019 and one for Birdman in 2015, but she did not win.
For Poor Things, Stone had already taken home several honors, such as the Golden Globe for best female actor in a comedy or musical and the Bafta for best actress. She now enters the ranks of multiple best actress Oscar winners, like Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, and Jodie Foster, thanks to her second Oscar.
She started, “I think it happened during I’m Just Ken, but my dress is broken.”
Clearly overcome, Stone addressed Gladstone, her chief opponent, expressing her admiration for her. “I hope we continue doing this together; it’s been such an honor to be doing this with you.”
“Thank you for this gift of a lifetime in the role of Bella,” she said, concluding her remarks to the Poor Things crew, which included Yorgos Lanthimos.
Stone then expressed her gratitude to her husband, parents, brother, and daughter, who will turn three in three days and has brightened our world with color. I cherish you more than the sky is blue.