Emma Stone has jumped to the defence of sex scenes in her new movie, Poor Things. ( (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for SeeHer/Searchlight Pictures)
Emma Stone has defended the sex scenes in her new movie, Poor Things.
The film, released on 12 January in the UK, portrays Stone as Bella Baxter, who is “brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Goodwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe),” as per the synopsis.
“Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn,” and has to explore both the world around her, and herself. Like every young person going through life, though, that also includes her identity and sexuality.
There are many sex scenes in the movie over the course of Bella’s developmental life – including scenes which depict sex work and address themes such as misogyny and the pleasure gap.
Stone has been forced to defend the artistic choice to show such intimacy – which is, at times graphic – in the film. In an interview with the star on 16 January on BBC Radio 4, host Samira Ahmed dubbed the scenes inappropriate, even for a Hollywood film.
Some viewers have also said that they find scenes in the film “disturbing” and believe it “normalises paedophilia”.