Holding her second career best-actress Oscar, Emma Stone said Sunday evening she enjoyed playing the role of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things” so much that she has missed walking in her shoes since filming wrapped.
“She is a character that is so, so important to me,” the 35-year-old Stone said backstage at the Dolby Theatre after winning best actress for portraying a Frankenstein-like character who evolves mentally from an infant to an awkward adolescent to a confident adult.
“I think 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,” Stone said. “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.”
The win was Stone’s second best-actress Oscar, following up her win for “La La Land.” When she walked on stage to accept the award Sunday night, she noted that her dress had torn slightly in the back, saying she believe it happened during Ryan Gosling’s rousing performance of “I’m Just Ken” during the ceremony. Gosling was Stone’s co-star in “La La Land.”
“I generally do think I busted it during `I’m Just Ken,”’ Stone said backstage. “I was so amazed by Ryan and what he was doing, and that number just blew my mind. And I was right there, and I just was going for it, and, you know, things happen.”
Stone said she was genuinely surprised by the Oscar win.
“I think I blacked out,” she said. “Yes, I was very shocked. I still feel like I’m spinnig a little bit. So yes, … it’s a huge honor and I’m very, yes, I’m very surprised.”