KUALA LUMPUR – In a surprise win, American actress Emma Stone takes home the Oscar for best actress for Poor Things, and was visibly overwhelmed as she took to the stage to receive the golden statuette.
This is her second win, with the first in 2017 for the modern musical La La Land.
Beating favourite Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon who had a great run during the award season, Stone said she was “in awe” of her competitor.
“It’s been such an honour to be doing this with you and I hope we keep doing this together.”
She also thanked the production team, including director Yorgos Lanthimos for “this gift of a lifetime in the role of Bella”.
Additionally, she mentioned her parents and brother, her husband and her daughter in her acceptance speech.
To her daughter, Stone said: “who’s gonna be three in three days and has turned our world technicolour. I love you bigger than the whole sky.”
Emma Stone wins Best Actress at the 2024 #Oscars for her role in #PoorThings pic.twitter.com/r3ypYnmNEZ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
She plays Bella Baxter in a Victorian fantasy comedy adapted from the novel by Alasdair Gray. It also stars Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef.
Bella is a result of having a child’s brain implanted into an adult’s body, which has proved controversial due to the prolific onscreen sex and nudity.
Aside from Gladstone, other nominees were Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Annette Bening (Nyad), and Carey Mulligan (Maestro).
Stone has been nominated twice before for best supporting actress, for Birdman in 2015 and The Favourite in 2019, but did not win.
Her second Oscar means she joins the likes of screen legends such as Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda and Jodie Foster. – March 11, 2024