Emma Stone has revealed that her role in Poor Things required her to eat 60 Portuguese tarts in one scene.
The film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, sees the actress play Bella Baxter, a dead woman brought back to life by a mad scientist in Victorian London after having the brain of an unborn baby put in her head, before going on a journey of sexual discovery.
At a recent panel discussion, Stone was asked whether playing an “explicitly sexual” character was a challenge, but she said the most difficult part was in fact some of the character’s other traits, including her eating habits.
“Figuring out how to walk or eat 60 Portuguese tarts, which the first bite is delicious, but by the end you really want to puke,” she said (via People). “Or her seeing death and decay for the first time, much more challenging than the nudity, which is the only thing people want to seem to ask me about.”
Stone is nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the film, and also recently won the BAFTA for Best Actress. The film is also up for Best Picture and Best Director, among a total of 11 nominations.
Stone has responded to critics of the film who accuse it of being sexist and exploitative. “If it helps, as the person who played it and produced it, I didn’t see her as a child in any of those scenes.”
“My mum has this saying that at the start of a relationship you say, ‘Oh we’re so in love we finish each other’s sentences.’ And then, as time goes by, it becomes, ‘You’re always interrupting me.’
“That can happen in a relationship with film, too, especially a film like this, that’s asking more questions than giving answers. I know people who’ve seen the film and think it’s just the sweetest romantic comedy, and others who had to watch it through their fingers. And that’s great.”
In a four-star review of Poor Things, NME said: “With a cunning use of old-school techniques (like matte paintings) and digital trickery, Poor Things is also ravishing to look at. While its oddball nature won’t be to all tastes, the championing of female guile over insufferable male idiocy will surely leave many with a big smile on their faces.”