Movies - TV
Emma Stone’s Poor Things Baby Punching Came From A Hilarious True Story
By SANDY SCHAEFER
According to an interview with Variety, it was revealed that Emma Stone's character Bella Baxter in “Poor Things” nearly punched a baby in a scene inspired by a real-life incident.
The film follows a grown woman who died and was revived with the brain of her unborn child implanted into her by the twisted scientist Dr. Godwin “God” Baxter (Willem Dafoe).
Bella is still emotionally immature with a developing brain when she's persuaded to flee with the unscrupulous Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a decision he immediately regrets.
During dinner with friends, Bella openly expresses her distaste for food and discusses intimate matters, even joking about punching a nearby crying baby before Duncan intervenes.
“Poor Things” writer Tony McNamara told the outlet that children can sometimes act “like narcissistic sociopaths,’ referring to the real-life incident that inspired the moment.
McNamara shared that the idea stemmed from an incident with his son. While dining at a restaurant, his son reacted to a crying infant nearby by saying, “Someone punch that baby!”
After receiving the necessary approval from the film's director, Yorgos Lanthimos, McNamara then incorporated it into the script for "Poor Things," much to his son's delight.