Jennifer Lawrence says she initially tried to talk Emma Stone out of shaving her head for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, a choice Stone ultimately made and filmed on camera for a pivotal kidnapping scene. The detail surfaces in a new magazine profile, where Lawrence jokes she had already “lived through” Stone’s short Billie Jean King cut years ago and feared another drastic chop; she later conceded the look suited her friend.
Stone plays a pharmaceutical CEO abducted by two conspiracy obsessives who shear her hair in the back seat of a stolen SUV; the moment was executed practically, with Stone’s real hair falling to the upholstery. She describes the experience as unexpectedly exhilarating—down to the first post-scene shower—and links the decision to memories of her mother losing hair during cancer treatment. Stone also quips that before cameras rolled, she took clippers to Lanthimos’ head.
The film, an English-language remake of the South Korean cult title Save the Green Planet!, reunites Stone with Lanthimos after The Favourite, Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness. Focus Features will open Bugonia in a limited New York/Los Angeles run on October 24 before expanding wide October 31. The world premiere is set for August 28 at Venice, where the production has been slated for an evening screening in the Sala Grande.
Recent marketing has emphasized the movie’s satirical tilt and Stone’s transformation, with earlier materials and reports confirming the kidnap-plot framework and Lanthimos’ preference for in-camera shocks. Cast members include Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone and comedian Stavros Halkias, with production credits spanning Square Peg, Element Pictures, Fruit Tree and CJ ENM. The project positions Stone as both star and producer as she and Lanthimos continue a run of collaborations foregrounding bold physical and thematic choices.
