Emma Stone Calls Shaving Her Head for Bugonia ‘Amazing’—Though Jennifer Lawrence Wasn’t On Board at First
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Emma Stone’s fearless approach to transformation has once again made headlines—this time for a bold buzz cut she embraced while filming Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming feature Bugonia. The Oscar-winning actress, 36, had her head shaved on camera for the role, an experience she described as “amazing” in her new Vogue cover story. But while Stone loved it, her longtime friend Jennifer Lawrence admits she wasn’t convinced at first.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Protective Pushback
Lawrence, 34, confessed she initially tried to talk Stone out of the decision. “I really didn’t want her to shave her head,” she told Vogue. “I had already lived through the Billie Jean King haircut,” referencing Stone’s cropped look for her 2017 portrayal of the tennis legend in Battle of the Sexes.
Still, Lawrence couldn’t deny the result. “Honestly, she looked beautiful,” she said. “She pulled it off.”
A Role That Required Commitment
In Bugonia—Stone’s fourth collaboration with Lanthimos after The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness—she plays a fictional pharmaceutical CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists, portrayed by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis. The film, a reimagining of the 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!, includes a pivotal moment in which Stone’s hair is shaved in real time on camera.
Plemons recalled the scene’s pressure, telling Vogue: “Here we go—Emily has shaved her head. We better make this good!”
The Joy—and Emotion—of Letting Go
Stone says the experience was exhilarating. “No better feeling in the world,” she said. “The first shower when you’ve shaved your head? Oh my God, it’s amazing.” Before shooting, she even shaved Lanthimos’ hair in solidarity.
But the moment carried personal weight, too. Stone’s mother, Krista, had shaved her own head during breast cancer treatment years earlier. “She actually did something brave,” Stone reflected. “I’m just shaving my head.” Her mom’s response? “‘I’m so jealous. I want to shave my head again.’”
A Friendship Forged in Milestones
Stone and Lawrence’s bond has been visible in some of Hollywood’s most high-profile moments. When Stone won her second Best Actress Oscar in 2023 for Poor Things, Lawrence was onstage alongside Michelle Yeoh to present the award. The two shared an emotional celebration backstage, with Lawrence whispering, “Two-time best-actress winner,” to which Stone quipped, “I feel like that’s bad, though.”
Fearless Choices On and Off Screen
From her daring performance in Poor Things to her willingness to make a dramatic physical change for Bugonia, Stone continues to prove she’s an actor willing to dive headfirst into risk. And while her friends may sometimes hesitate, her confidence in her choices—and her joy in the unexpected—remains unshakable.
Bugonia is currently in production, marking another creative reunion between Stone and Lanthimos that promises bold storytelling, uncompromising performances, and, in this case, a very memorable haircut.
