Emma Stone shared the heartfelt reason behind her emotional response to shaving her head for her upcoming film, Bugonia. 

The Oscar-winning actress, 36, in a recent interview with Vogue, revealed that the experience brought back memories of her mother’s courageous battle with breast cancer, which led to hair loss.

Stone reflected on the moment she shaved her head, saying, “She actually did something brave. I’m just shaving my head.” 

Her mother, Krista Stone, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and lost her hair during treatment. Despite the emotional connection, Emma’s mother was supportive of her decision, jokingly expressing her jealousy and desire to shave her head again.

In Bugonia, Emma plays Michelle, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company who has her head shaved to prove she’s an alien. The film is a sci-fi black comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, marking Emma’s sixth collaboration with him. 

The movie is set to premiere at the 82nd Venice Film Festival on August 28 and will be released in US theaters on October 31.

Although the Poor Things star wore wigs to public events, including the New York Film Festival, she confessed she would have loved to go out with her shaved head. “I was bummed I wasn’t going out with it. Just straight-up bald. I think that would have been fun,” she said. 

However, she did enjoy the first shower after shaving her head, describing it as “amazing”. “No better feeling in the world. The first shower when you’ve shaved your head? Oh my god, it’s amazing,” she shared.

Her friend Jennifer Lawrence, also an Oscar winner, initially expressed hesitation about Emma’s decision but later praised her for pulling off the look. 

“I really didn’t want her to shave her head. I had already lived through the Billie Jean King haircut,” Lawrence joked. “But honestly, she looked beautiful. She pulled it off.”