Emma Stone has recalled the “total garbage” advice she received from a studio executive early on in her career.
The 35-year-old Poor Things star was honoured with the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards’ Desert Palm Achievement Award on Thursday (4 January) for her performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi fantasy.
During her acceptance speech, Stone remembered the words of an executive whom she had met when she first moved to Los Angeles.
“I went to one of those general meetings that they sometimes send you to, and an executive told me that for male actors, it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” she remembered, according to People. “And in his eyes, for women, it was a sprint, not a marathon. And that was 20 years ago.
“And I realise that advice is total garbage because the majority of the women that I look up to in this industry, many of whom are in this room, have proven that as time goes on, life and work only get more interesting and more fulfilling.”
Stone leads the Greek director’s latest film about a young woman Bella who embarks on a whirlwind adventure with a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) after being brought back to life by a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe).
“This role was unlike anything I had ever read or anyone that I had ever read about,” the La La Land actor added. “She’s a woman who is immune to external expectations and impervious to judgment and shame and playing.”
Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo in ‘Poor Things’— (YE - Top Films)
“There is no one better suited for this role,” the festival’s chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a November press release.
“Emma Stone continues to exert influence as one of the most important actresses of this generation, whose performances are always exceptional no matter the role,” Chandi added.
The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab agreed, writing that “Emma Stone has never been bolder in this oddball farce”, in his four-star review of the film.
Stone’s portrayal of Bella is expected to land her a Best Actress nod at the 2024 Oscar Awards.
She’s currently competing for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a musical/comedy at the forthcoming Golden Globes, broadcasting live on Sunday (7 January). The film itself has been nominated for Best Picture (musical/comedy), Best Screenplay and Best Score at the Globes.
Poor Things is out in cinemas now.
