At Thursday’s premiere of Ari Aster’s anticipated drama Eddington at the DGA Theatre in West Hollywood, Emma Stone shared insights about her collaboration with co-star Joaquin Phoenix in a report published by Variety. When asked about their preparation process, Stone revealed a nuanced perspective on rehearsals: “We rehearsed. We went through everything. Rehearsal is a little bit of mixed bag for me sometimes. Sometimes I really really enjoy it and sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh God we’re just doing it and it’s going to ruin everything,’ but this was one of the good ones.” She warmly recalled their first day filming together: “It was cool. He was a cowboy. He was [Sheriff] Joe.”
Set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, Eddington features Phoenix as a small-town New Mexico sheriff who stuns his community – including his wife (Stone) – by announcing his campaign to unseat the incumbent mayor (Pedro Pascal). The ensemble cast includes Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deidre O’Connell, Clifton Collins Jr., and Michael Ward, weaving a complex tapestry of rural tension and political ambition.
The conversation inevitably turned to the film’s Cannes premiere, where a viral moment showed Pascal and Butler dramatically swatting a bee away from Stone during the photo call. This incident gained unexpected resonance hours before the Eddington premiere when Focus Features released the trailer for Stone’s upcoming dark comedy Bugonia – directed by her frequent collaborator Yorgos Lanthimos. The trailer prominently features co-star Jesse Plemons in a beekeeper suit discussing insect behavior, given the film’s plot about conspiracy theorists (Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who kidnap Stone’s CEO character believing she’s an alien.
When questioned if the Cannes bee spectacle was staged promotion for Bugonia, Stone laughed off the theory with characteristic wit: “Wouldn’t that have been an incredible idea? It’s just Pedro trying to help me out carrying a bee around in his pocket and setting it loose and Austin just blows it seemingly into my face and it was like, ‘Bugonia, coming soon!’” Her playful remark highlighted the serendipitous collision of real-life absurdity and cinematic marketing.
Fans can anticipate Stone’s dual 2025 releases: Eddington arrives in theaters nationwide on July 18, while Bugonia will begin its theatrical run with a limited release on October 24 before expanding widely on Halloween.
The Pop Blog general news and updates, mostly from press releases and conferences.