Poor Things actress Emma Stone discusses the film’s many intense sex scenes. Released in theaters on December 8, the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed feature is a critical darling, already earning many nominations and wins this awards season. However, its depiction of sex has garnered some controversy from critics and audience members alike.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Stone gets candid about filming the sex scenes and the reception they garnered. Stating that the scenes felt “very comfortable,” Stone also said she was prepared to do them because they felt necessary to Bella Baxter’s journey. Check out what she said on the matter below:
They were very comfortable. It was a really small room every time, it was very few people, and we had an amazing intimacy coordinator, Elle McAlpine. In some ways, those scenes were kind of easier than the other ones because they were so choreographed and so straightforward.
Even though most people are reacting to those [scenes] a lot because they feel more intense, they actually were completely fine. I was very prepared that those were going to occur because it felt completely necessary to Bella’s journey and growth and they feel very clinical and often very funny – to me, at least.
Poor Things’ Controversy Explained
While Poor Things has received positive reviews overall, some audience members and critics have taken offense at the excessive nature of the sex scenes that are a part of Bella’s journey of self-discovery. Throughout the movie, Bella is re-educated to live after Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) reanimates her body with a baby’s brain. To discover what life has to offer, she takes off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) and discovers sex with him, which she repeatedly practices.
As a result, the movie contains many sex scenes. One of the most controversial involves Bella having sex with a father, who brings his own children to witness him in the act, so they can learn about it as they observe him. That’s been the subject of recent controversy due to reports that the scene would not have been able to get its 18 certificate in the United Kingdom with the original cut of it intact.
Despite some being uncomfortable with the excessive nature of Poor Things‘ sex scenes, the film has still been hailed as one of 2023’s best. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 93% critical score, and even audiences have given it 82%, suggesting the sex scenes haven’t negatively affected the response to the film. Coming off its Golden Globes wins, Poor Things is expected to continue building steam in the lead-up to Oscar nominations. In the meantime, the movie aims to collect more statues during the Critics’ Choice Awards, which will air on January 14 at 7 p.m. ET on The CW.
Poor Things
Poor Things is a sci-fi romance film from The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos. The story focuses on the bizarre and fantastical world of Bella Baxter after a scientist named Dr. Godwin Baxter brings her back to life. The film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray.
- Release Date
- September 8, 2023
- Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast
- Emma Stone , Willem Dafoe , Mark Ruffalo , Ramy Youssef , Jerrod Carmichael , Christopher Abbott
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 141 Minutes
- Genres
- Comedy , Romance , Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Tony McNamara
- Story By
- Alasdair Gray
- Studio(s)
- Film4 , TSG Entertainment , Element Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Searchlight Pictures
