‘Poor Things’ Director Explains Why Taking A Nonjudgmental Approach To Emma Stone’s Character’s Sexuality Was ‘Very Important’
etcanada.comExploring the sexuality of Emma Stone’s “Poor Things” character was an important part of the storyline, says director Yorgos Lanthimos.
During a Friday press conference at the New York Film Festival, the filmmaker explained why Stone’s character Bella Baxter’s sex scenes were “a very important part of her journey. “We felt that we shouldn’t shy away from it,” Lanthimos, 50, said. “It would feel very disingenuous to tell this story about this character who is so free and so open, and then be prude about the sexual aspect of it.” “Poor Things” — based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray — is a Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring that centres around Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life in a Frankenstein-like fashion by an eccentric but brilliant scientist Dr.
Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). READ MORE: ‘Poor Things’ Starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo Wins Golden Lion Award At Venice Film Festival Brimming with excitement to explore the wonders of the new world she was never a part of — including her personal sexual awakening — Bella eventually discovers the dangers of the world too.
The sci-fi/romance — which also stars Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott — has received an R rating for “strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore and language.” “It was clear from the beginning, but also from the novel, from the script, from my discussions with Emma, as well, and how we came up with those scenes,” Lanthimos commented on how the sexual scenes were formulated. “She had to be free; there should be no judgment. “The same way she learns about language and human suffering and love and science and politics, the same way she should be equally free about sex and anything else,” he explained. READ MORE: New ‘Poor Things’ Trailer: Emma Stone Is Brought Back To Life As A Bizarrely Beautiful Frankenstein By Willem Dafoe Lanthimos, who previously worked with
