That’s why it was so hard for me to watch Emma Stone take the stage to claim her win. That’s not to say that Emma Stone’s performance wasn’t magical, because it was. Nor am I really interested in subjective debates about whose performance was better (because if we’re going down that route, I’d be tempted to throw Sandra Huller into the top two), but it’s hard to celebrate her win when it’s her second Oscar. Stone’s performance as Bella in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things was zany, absurd, out there, and a far cry form her previous performances. Of course it was a job well done. She was the heart of Poor Things, which may have been furthered by something Gladstone did not have: screentime.
