Are we being summoned once again to the world of Lanthimos by Emma Stone? Not long after Poor Things bagged four Academy Awards, the acclaimed American actress, alongside other members of the same team, is present in Cannes for the premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’s more edgy Kinds of Kindness. Margaret Qualley and Willem Defoe are transitioning from the Poor Things crew to the Kindness lot with Stone. The Greek director reprises his role behind the camera, with Element Pictures, the industrious Dublin-based firm returning as co-producer.
It’s satisfying to see everyone savouring their moment in the limelight this time. Poor Things’ inaugural screening in Venice last fall was marred by the Hollywood actors’ strike, restricting any red-carpet spectacle. Stone is here at the iconic Carlton hotel for a chat, along with Qualley and a fresh recruit, Jesse Plemons. Massive advertisement boards are obstructed by palm trees visible through the expansive windows behind them. The encircling media are already displaying signs of fatigue: droopy eyes resultant from too many early morning screenings.
“Cannes is incomparable,” says Plemons, who will later clinch the best actor award here. “It’s a whirlwind of emotion – exhilarating, intense, nerve-wracking, overwhelming, extraordinary. Incredibly unique… and incredibly fantastical.”
Outperforming Poor Things is a tall order indeed. Asides from winning critical acclaim, the adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel, though it may sound crude, raked in a heap of money: $118 million, roughly €110 million, an impressive haul for an art-house film posing difficult questions to its audience.
It leaves one speculating about what the followers of that film will think of Kinds of Kindness. Lanthimos, since his 2017 project The Killing of a Sacred Deer, teams up for the first time with his writing partner Efthymis Filippou. The duo, embraced as unknown Greek experimentalists 15 years ago, won the Un Certain Regard prize here for Dogtooth.
The upcoming film release promises to be as startling as its controversial predecessor, featuring three distinct segments and using the same principal actors. “Kinds of Kindness” showcases perplexing, brutal and disrespectful narratives full of delicate intricacies. Those expecting an easy immersion into the plot may find it daunting. The widespread viewership that appreciated “Poor Things” could be caught off-guard.
Stone responds to the curious inquiries, “I comprehend your query, but remember that our motivation for creating this film stems from the wild reactions we received for ‘Poor Things’. One would believe we couldn’t top that! But alas – ha ha! It further showcases that there’s no way of predicting public responses. Every single day we were filming, I conversed with Yorgos about the project’s flow. He frequently labelled it as a catastrophic disaster, matching my own suspicions!”
In addition to starring in “Poor Things”, Stone also played a production role along with Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe. The duo pioneered the Irish-founded Element, and Stone and Lanthimos made their Oscar-nominated mark for best picture. It’s essential to note that despite “Kinds of Kindness”‘s swift succession, “Poor Things” began its shoots in the summer of 2021, and its successor only started filming over a year later. The process is typically time-consuming. A question arises as to whether Stone found it challenging to let go of her producer’s responsibilities in transitioning between projects. Did participating in “Kinds of Kindness” make her miss her creative control?
“With Yorgos, it’s different. I’m free to express my thoughts, irrespective of whether I hold the title of a producer or not,” she says cheerfully. “It’s certainly a pleasant experience. The capability to be involved in all aspects of the process and to form an opinion significantly changed my perspective. It’s a unique kind of evolution.”
[ Poor Things critique: Emma Stone delivers a disturbing performance in this bold feminist allegory soaked in Victorian horror ]
We might get the perspective that we inhabit the globe that is the domain of Stone, now aged 35. She embarked on her acting journey at the tender age of 12 in her home state of Arizona. Strikingly, her second Oscar, bestowed upon her for the film Poor Things, was won at an older age than when Elizabeth Taylor earned hers for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Following a brief phase of reality TV, Stone landed key roles in blockbusters such as Superbad and Easy A. Her first Oscar, a tribute to her performance in La La Land, was received in 2016, and the subsequent period has been spent consolidating her position. Recognised once more for her work in Lanthimos’s The Favourite, in 2018, she appears as an unstoppable waggish persona, her renowned husky laugh frequently echoing in real life. However, rest assured that there resides a formidable inner strength in her.
On returning to the initial point, Poor Things did exhibit a traditional character progression. In comparison, Kinds of Kindness is more comparable to the baffling eccentric style evident in Lanthimos’s earlier Greek creations. However, the apprehension that Poor Things might be misunderstood by viewers, as she cheekily remarked, was put to rest.
“The reaction was simply staggering,” she reports. She has garnered sufficient knowledge over time to understand that what she finds amusing or comprehensible might not be universally accepted. She reveals, “One certainly does feel, doesn’t everyone comprehend this? Isn’t everyone supposed to find this humorous?’ However, not everyone might share the sentiment. When you expect disappointment, you can be overwhelmed by a surprisingly positive response. Therefore, I tend not to harbour high hopes. I am simply elated to be part of this film production. I adore this movie. I have needed to learn to let go of certain things. There are no certainty indicators”
There is a common notion that this project was hovering in the movie cosmos for what seems like forever. One could form a reasonable notion that it was about getting everyone back together, akin to a band reunion. However, that wasn’t exactly it. Lanthimos, known for his dry humour, quite fitting for a man of his sturdy build, was more than willing to revisit the process with Filippou.
“He states, “I didn’t reconcile with him. We’re continually involved in projects. Following ‘Killing of a Sacred Deer’ in 2017, we quickly embarked on writing something new. I undertook a plethora of projects. The question of which one to tackle next depends on several factors such as the readiness of the script, the availability of the actors, and the shooting location. Regardless, we’re always collaborating. Once a project is completed, we commence another.”
The first of the trilogy, filmed in a version of New Orleans unfamiliar to tourists, portrays Plemons attempting to escape from Dafoe’s oppressive libertine. The second instalment portrays Plemons as a disturbed police officer trying to cope with his wife’s transformations after her return from exile. The final part features Stone under the influence of Dafoe’s peculiar cult leader. There’s a nostalgic feel of British horror anthology movies from decades past squeezed into one compact bundle. But ‘Kinds of Kindness’ isn’t quite as condensed; it’s a lengthy film filled with unsettling events.
“After studying Caligula, we started writing a single story,” Lanthimos explains. “But we soon felt the urge to explore a new approach. That’s when we proposed the idea of a triptych film. We brainstormed and made a list. We then spontaneously selected two additional topics that would complement the initial one we were focusing on.”
It’s natural to ponder whether the various roles played by the same actor are interconnected. Could they be modifications of each other? Could they engage in dialogue? Plemons takes on most of the lead roles, while Dafoe appears frequently as a menacing magus. The cast, still recovering from their initial film viewing, can only guess how such a project turns out. Albeit unconventional, Lanthimos deals with this chaotic situation. Qualley, who is also premiering her horror film ‘The Substance’ at Cannes, seems to resonate with this perspective.
Reflecting on the genesis of her roles, she asserts, “Upon initial reading of the script, I was aware of the characters I would be portraying. ‘This is on my agenda, this next, followed by this, and so on.’ It was only after viewing the film that I could fully take in its entire substance. It was not perhaps the first viewing, but the second where I truly started to comprehend… this might just be a normal occurrence. The entire process bore a likeness to surrendering to free-fall, akin to taking a blind swing at something and having faith it would turn out alright.”
Admittedly, risk-taking was involved. There were times when, particularly in stringent American society, the unabashed sexual content in ‘Poor Things’ induced a significant amount of concern. It almost seemed as if the liberalism of the 60s had been forgotten. Though ‘Kinds of Kindness’, being less straightforward, might provoke less gossip, there’s no doubt that Lanthimos hasn’t toned down any explicit elements. The central segment of the movie features a bewildering four-person intimate scene, likely to have posed challenges for those responsible for ensuring no participants are compromised during such sequences.
Stone shares her experience, “We were blessed with an exceptional intimacy coordinator, who was truly magnificent. We discussed everything with her before going on set, including the most minute elements of how scene transitions were to be handled. She provided constant support throughout. The set environment was respectful and secure. By that point, we had established a good understanding and trustworthiness amongst ourselves. What I realized from my experience with ‘Poor Things’ was that the key to any such scene is having a dedicated intimacy coordinator overseeing things, ensuring everyone’s comfort. It enables a degree of choreographed smoothness and alters everything dramatically.”
Plemons, with his easygoing personality and laid-back communication style, felt an equivalent level of comfort. “Yes, having a guide through those tricky discussions was invaluable,” he agrees. “It was so beneficial to have someone whose sole job is to maintain that comfort. The fact that our intimacy coordinator had significant acting experience also helped since navigating these strange situations came naturally to her.”
Stone remarks that intimacy coordinators are incredibly nonjudgemental; they approach even the most intricate matters with an open mind. When something doesn’t feel authentic, they’re prompt to point it out and help correct the scene’s movements. This makes it feel more like dance than the actual scenes portrayed.
Stone’s enactment as Bella Baxter in ‘Poor Things’, as well as portraying three characters in ‘Kinds of Kindness’, indicates her exploration of all aspects of her acting prowess. Her next venture is ‘Eddington’, an upcoming Ari Aster flick where she will be starring alongside Austin Butler and Pedro Pescal, set to be a popular choice in 2025.
She discusses the role she played in a series sandwiched between ‘Poor Things’ and her current endeavor – a television program named ‘The Curse’. She believes this experience might have proven beneficial. In the remarkable Apple series, she portrayed one-half of a disgustingly pretentious duo attempting to create a reality show while looking down on everyone around them.
She highlighted the stark contrast between Bella and her character in the TV series, stating their motivations diverge greatly. This transition was not just liberating for her, but also joyous and liberating. Being a veteran collaborator with Yorgos, she was confident of finding her footing quickly and seeing the character development unfold.
‘Planet Stone’ is now in full motion and ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is set to grace the silver screens from Friday, June 28th.