The Best Actress category was fiercely competitive at the 2024 Oscars. Annette Bening earned a nomination for "Nyad," Lily Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Carey Mulligan for "Maestro," Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall" and Emma Stone for "Poor Things." But Gladstone and Stone became the main frontrunners over the course of the awards season.
Gladstone made history as the first Indigenous woman to win Best Actress - Drama at the Golden Globes, while Emma Stone took home Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Stone also took home Best Actress at the Critic's Choice Awards, which she accepted in total shock. Despite Gladstone being the expected frontrunner for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese's adaptation of "Killers of the Flower Moon," Emma Stone took home the win.
Stone earns her second Oscar win for Best Actress following her 2017's "La la Land." In "Poor Things," she played the role of Bella Baxter, a woman reanimated from death and implanted with an infant's brain who slowly discovers passion and finds joy in life. Stone previously worked with director Yorgos Lanthimos on "The Favourite," which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2019.
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Similar to Critic's Choice, Stone was clearly not expecting to win when her name was read. She was emotional as she accepted her award and began thanking people with tears in her eyes. She started by naming every other Best Actress nominee, explaining that she's enjoyed being in their company over the course of the awards season.
"It has been such an honor to do this together; I hope we get to do more of this together."
She proceeded to thank her director for bringing together the incredible cast and crew and everyone who made "Poor Things" possible.
"The best part about making movies is all of us together," she noted.
As she wrapped up her speech, she told her husband, Dave, that she loved him and thanked her daughter, explaining that she was about to turn three years old. Stone ended her speech but telling her daughter how much she loved her before exiting the stage. "I love you bigger than the whole sky."
"Poor Things" is currently streaming on Hulu.
