In Poor Things, the latest movie from director Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone's character Bella Baxter sees the world through fresh eyes – literally. A rapidly developing infant's brain in a grown woman's body, conceived by an unconventional scientist (Willem Dafoe), a key part of Bella's journey is self-discovery – exploration of her own body and experimentation with pleasure. In short, that means the movie doesn't shy away from sex.
From the opening scene of his Greek-language psychological drama Dogtooth to Stone's absent-minded pleasuring of Joe Alwyn in The Favourite, Lanthimos' sex scenes are generally more matter-of-fact than sensual, often to humorous effect. So, what are they like to film? Stone only has positive things to say about the sex scenes in Poor Things when we sit down to talk at a central London hotel.
