Emma Stone Defends Explicit Sex Scenes in “Poor Things” Film
Hollywood star Emma Stone has responded to criticism over the explicit sex scenes in her latest film, “Poor Things,” telling the BBC that sex is a crucial part of her character’s story. The adaptation of Scottish writer Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, follows Stone’s character, Bella Baxter, a deceased woman reanimated with the brain of an unborn child.
Sex plays an important role in the film, as it is one of the ways Bella learns to understand her body and how others lust after it. Stone responded to criticism during an interview, stating that the decision has been much discussed during the filming of the movie, emphasizing the importance of being true to Bella’s experience.
She explained, “Obviously, sex is an important part of her experience and her growth, as it is, I think, for most people in life. But I see it as just one aspect of many for her: her discovery of food or philosophy, travel and dance. Sex is another aspect.”
Stone also discussed the importance of Bella being completely free and unashamed of her body, emphasizing that the film aimed to honor the character as completely as possible, including her portrayal of prostitution in the film.
The film, released in December in the United States and January in the United Kingdom, has received mostly positive reviews, but some viewers and critics have found the frank and abundant sex scenes to be too much. BBC Radio 4 presenter Samira Ahmed addressed the issues of sex and prostitution in a recent interview, calling the scenes “quite explicit” and “unusual nowadays in Hollywood.”
The film’s director, Yorgos Lanthimos, responded that the depiction of prostitution in the film was in line with the tone of the movie and fully supported by Bella’s journey and her way of coming to terms with the world and educating herself.
The film pushes the boundaries of typical Hollywood portrayals of sex and prostitution, and Stone and Lanthimos defend its explicit and raunchy scenes as crucial to Bella’s story and character development.