With a straight script, the series delves into a kind of psychological thriller, with an element of horror and is divided into 10 episodes. Without a doubt, an ambitious bet designed with the intention of hitting viewers with themes such as gentrification, racism, cultural approval and that cynical way of many people who show an exterior that has little or nothing to do with reality.
Leading the cast, actress Emma Stone plays Whitney, a woman captivated by a false altruism that she uses to promote herself. But this is not the only character of the actress this year since she is triumphing with the film ‘Poor Things’ by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Living on the top, the actress confessed that she knows a little of Spanish.
Q: Why did you decide to lead the TV show ‘The Curse’?
A: I have known Nathan (Fielder) for a couple of years now and he said to me: “Can I talk to you about an idea that Benny (Safdie) is having for a project”. And I said: “Absolutely, I am in”. I think ‘The Curse’ is fascinating and the most challenging part that I ever played.
Q: Now that you have shot this show, with a very original narrative. How would you describe the experience?
A: I have to say that Ben and Nathan had a lot of experience with actresses in the past. For me, it was a very special thing to witness how Benny and Nathan work. And then, working with non-actors was amazing because it gave me a lot of freedom. As an actress, I didn’t want to feel fake and when you feel comfortable in a role it can be very phony, especially because you are with people who are improvising.
Q: As we don’t want to spoil the story, can you share how you understand this character?
A: Whitney, my character, is totally created by her environment at any given moment. There is nothing you can really track on her. She is doing good things to whatever person it is in front of her. In reality, she is nice, but she is not good.
Q: This is a great year for you. You also seem to really enjoy collaborating with Yorgos Lanthimos, if there’s anything specific that he does to bring out the best work in you?
A: After we finished ‘The Favorite’, we immediately started talking about other things, and that’s when he brought up ‘Poor Things’ to me. I think we just truly love each other. I think we really understand each other, and we get along really well. But I think we both also have a lot of respect and admiration for each other, and what we do. And I feel very much like I can completely trust him as a director and collaborator, and that’s so rare as an actor, to be able to just totally give yourself over and know that you're being protected in that way and that the story is being protected. We can make fun of each other, we can fight, and we can just have, like, a legitimate relationship, which is incredible, and why I think I love working with him time and again. He loves to build kind of a company, of not just the actors but the crew. It’s the same people that kind of keep coming back, and you feel safer with everybody because of that and closer to everybody. And there’s a real shorthand, and it’s just, like, it’s my favorite. It’s the best.
Q. I want to know what you learn for -- to playing Bella Baxter in this movie??
A. She is a character that is so, so important to me. The chance to play a person starting from scratch, but in a total metaphorical, can't-really-happen-in-real-life way, who's gaining language and skills at a rapid pace every day and getting to, sort of, chart that course and realize that she was just full of joy and curiosity and true love, of not just the good, but the challenging in life and was fascinated by all of it, that was an amazing, an amazing lesson to take with me and to try to get to live in the shoes of every day. So I really miss playing her ever since we wrapped filming, which was a long time ago. It was like two and a half years ago. I miss Bella. And I'm really grateful that we got to celebrate the film tonight and over these past few months.?And, yeah, I just, I love her.?
Q. Talking about language, you grew up in Arizona where many people speak Spanish. How is your Spanish today?
A. Much better than it used to be. As you say, in Arizona and California many people speak Spanish and I do respect that. I can barely communicate in Spanish but I can form some sentences. Yes
Q. Have you ever been in Spain or have you ever read a Spanish author?
A. I’ve been to Spain a few times. I was there during the premiere of Spiderman and a few times after. Love your country. I like to read, I definitely read some Spanish authors but now I’m only remembering Bolaños. He is a great talent
Q: The role of Bella in ‘Poor Things’ is pretty complex. From a child mind trapped in a full-grown woman’s body, to a grown woman freeing herself from conventions with a liberal and feminist spirit. How did you approach preparing for the role?
A: Just by trying to remove as much judgment and shame as possible because I think that it was actually more an undoing than a doing. Obviously, the physicality and the language and all of that was something that we worked on pretty extensively because we needed to, and we needed to understand her staging as the film progresses, and the story progresses. But more than anything, it was just sort of, like, letting go of things because Bella is pure joy and curiosity and doesn’t have shame and doesn’t have trauma. And it’s hard to find an adult that hasn’t gone through things and has, you know, certain Pavlovian responses to certain things or certain judgment about themselves or others. That was the great gift of playing her, was that she just doesn’t. She just lives in a place of discovery. And so, that was the biggest part in my mind, I think, of preparation to play her.
Q: What acting resources or influences did you use to help create such a unique character?
A: I worked on all of this with Yorgos, and I was working with incredible actors as well. Like, Ramy and Willem and Mark. I mean, it was amazing. You know, when you’re working with these actors, it sort of is just like you feel you can really sort of be in the scene and be free. The character is unlike anything, you know. Yorgos asked me to see Herzog’s Kasper Hauser. But just to, you know, just to be inspired by something very different and unique. Not to mimic. I think it was more intuitive and just trying to build on what we had in terms of the story and the evolution and the encounters that she has, and you know, the environments that she’s in. And try, and you know, respond to those and kind of imagine how a human being like Bella would, you know, react to that. And the rest of it was, like, just physicality.
Q: This film is really about the awakening of Bella intellectually, emotionally, and sexually. In all of this, she meets resistance from men. How important was this aspect to be talked about?
A: I didn’t just see it as her sort of coming up against men in some way. I think it’s her sort of experience of all different facets of life and the world and different cities, different environments, experiences. So, I don’t think I thought about it just as that, like, how she goes through life in relationship to men. But all of those male characters are fascinating in their own ways, and have their own, you know, layers to how they experience her, and what they offer her, what they teach her, and what she teaches them. So, I don’t know if I answered your question. There’s also women that play an important part in her evolution and journey and animals and food and dancing and so many things.
Q: I've spoken with Holly Waddington about the costumes and would love to hear how her designs and costumes helped to inform your character.
A: Well, you know, the costumes were so helpful with all of that because Bella, at the beginning, is, you know, kind of Holly's spoken about, you know, she's like quilted and she's in silks. And she's being very taken care of by Mrs. Prim. And then, when she goes out on her own adventures, she's dressing herself. So, it's just, like, pieces that she's pairing together in her own way. And as it, kind of, continues on, she starts to get into more structured clothing as she, sort of, matures and adapts to the environment. So, it was really incredible. And the fabrics were so beautiful, the colors were so beautiful. You know, the thought and the detail behind all of it was just immense. Yeah, I think that was an enormous part of the, you know, development of her character was the way she, you know, changes her expression through her clothing.
Q: Emma, this is, without a doubt, the boldest work to-date in your career. What made you decide to take the risk of playing such an unconventional role?
A: Oh, there wasn't even a second thought. It was like the greatest thing ever. She's my favorite character of all time. And it was with Yorgos. I was like, done, great. It was not a hard decision. I felt so lucky.
Q: What has been the evolution since ‘The Favorite’ in your career, and what is it about working with Yorgos that led you to want to be a Producer on ‘Poor Things’?
A: The evolution since ‘The Favorite’. I don't know. Just that I like to try things and if I'm allowed to, that's great. I would say, what about working with Yorgos, I feel completely comfortable with him. I admire and respect him so much as a filmmaker and as a person. And, it just feels like an amazing environment. I also love the material that he's drawn to and the way he tells stories. So, it's kind of a, you know, great combination of things. The things he makes, I tend to absolutely love and really speak to me. And then we get along so well and have a great relationship. So, it's just wonderful to get to work with him. We just made our fourth project together, which is amazing. And I feel extremely lucky for that. As to be a Producer. Yorgos asked me to be a Producer on this. We had been talking about this movie for about three years at that point. So, he asked me to be a Producer on it, and I was thrilled. I don't know if it changed anything about what our dynamic was because we were talking about everything anyway. But it definitely feels, you know, great to feel that sort of, I don't know, extra piece when it comes to Bella and this story.
Q: How would you describe the process of shooting such an odd movie?
A: I'm a tough person to ask because I find it, like, so embarrassing when actors say that their job is hard. Because I just think it's, like, humiliating. Even though it is. Like, you're really tired and, you know, all of that. And you're in this environment and, you know, there are days, you know, where you're really hard on yourself, and you care a lot about what you're doing. But, to say, like, oh it's so hard to be an actor is crazy to me. So, with that said, sure I found some days hard but not really, you know what I mean. It's so much fun. It's such a joyful, lucky thing to get to do. And, she was such a joyful character to play that, even when it was, you know, a more challenging day or I was being hard on myself or whatever it might be, it's always a gift. And really, this cast and our crew and, you know, being with Yorgos again, it's like, it's the best.
Q: Can you talk about the evolution of your character from the physical elements to her way of thinking, and how you worked with Yorgos to get there. I mean, that's a lot to track over the course of a shoot, the way that Bella evolves.
A: Yeah, we basically did it in just, kind of, a very logical way. Just staging with her physicality and her language, and then the rest of it. Neither Yorgos nor I really like to talk a lot about the, sort of, psychology of the character and, like, what's happening internally and all of that. The exterior is sort of there, and then that's my work to do more internally. So, that's kind of what we did. We just sort of, you know, parsed out how she would develop in these stages so that we could jump from day to day. And if we needed to change where we are in the story, we kind of knew how she would be developing. And then, I mean, in my own mind, that's for me to know and you to find out. So stupid.
Q. You seemed more than I have ever seen on the Oscar stage completely shocked.
A. Oh, boy. Well, I mean, I don't know if it was more than ever. I think I blacked out. Yes, I was very shocked. I still feel like I'm - I'm spinning a little bit. So, yes, it's a huge honor, and I'm very surprised.
By María Estévez
Correspondent writer
