It’s easy to understand why Emma Stone sees things as she does regarding her role in “Poor Things.” After all, Bella is basically an infant in a grown-up body, which is part of what drives the film’s narrative and her character arc. As such, Bella is discovering everything anew and has the freedom to do so because of her bodily autonomy.
“But I see it as just one aspect of many — her discovery of food, philosophy, travel, and dance,” Stone explained to Front Row. “Sex is another aspect … She doesn’t know to be embarrassed by these things or to cover things up or not dive into the full experience when it comes to anything.”
On the flip side, it’s also obvious why Mark Ruffalo was somewhat unnerved by these scenes, considering the icky moral implications of his character hooking up with Bella. Still, he was able to eventually see past this and admitted that he thinks the scenes were vital to the appeal of “Poor Things” in the end. “I feel like we’re in this prudish time for films,” Ruffalo told Perfect magazine. “Sexuality is so deeply connected to the psychology of a character. And it should be explored in that sense, too,” he added. “Poor Things” is currently in theaters.
