Emma Stone opened up about the secret behind her bold transformation for the upcoming movie Bugonia during a chat with PEOPLE.
Key Takeaways:
- In her exclusive interview, Emma shared the story of why she kept her shaved head a mystery after filming Bugonia.
- The actress wore a beanie for three months to keep her look under wraps, wanting to surprise her audience with the big reveal.
- This decision was influenced by her past experience with the film Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the same director working on Bugonia.
Emma, who stars as Michelle Fuller, a powerful pharmaceutical CEO in Bugonia, was intentional about hiding her shaved head to maintain an air of mystery. “I thought, ‘It’s nice when it’s revealed later,’ even though wearing beanies for months wasn’t my favorite thing to do,” she admitted.
Reflecting on her role in Poor Things, Emma noted, “The audience hadn’t seen Bella’s look until the trailer, which made the reveal jarring and fun. Keeping things discreet adds excitement for viewers.” She mentioned that since there weren’t any real images from the set of Bugonia, she believed it was cool to keep her new look under wraps for a bit longer.
After filming wrapped, she found herself loving her buzzed hairstyle, though, admittedly, it took time to adjust.
During a Q&A event on September 3, Yorgos confirmed that Emma had initial reservations about shaving her head, an essential part of her performance that had to be captured in a single take.
“I’d known for a year and a half that head-shaving was on the schedule, but come shoot day, we were setting up several cameras for the one-shot scene,” she recalled. “I got a bit panicky as the setup was taking longer than expected!”
Yorgos shared how Emma’s reflections on her mother’s experience with hair loss due to cancer treatment drastically grounded her. “It was honestly liberating and freeing for her; it’s just hair. I expected it to take longer to grow back, but it’s just hair!” Emma reflected on how this experience was transformative for her.
Due to her desire to keep her new look a surprise, Emma sat out of making her bald debut at any red carpet events. She opted instead for a wig at the premiere of A Real Pain at the 62nd New York Film Festival last October, debuting her new pixie style only recently at the Golden Globes in March.
Bugonia is set to hit theaters widely on October 31.
