In modern cinema, it’s clear when a director has found their muse. The most famous example is Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. When those two work together, people immediately pay attention. One of the more recent filmmaker/muse pairings has to be Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, who have worked together twice already (“The Favourite” and “Poor Things”) and appear keen on keeping it going with a new film, “Kind of Kindness.” While little is known about the new film, Lanthimos is willing to offer up a brief description of what makes it unique (its seemingly anthological structure) and why he keeps coming back to Stone.
Speaking to The Guardian, Yorgos Lanthimos talked about his new film, the critically acclaimed “Poor Things,” which is expected to be a major player come awards time. But he also teased what’s to come next, a new film titled “Kind of Kindness,” which once again stars Emma Stone. Apparently, the feature is more like three separate films.
“It’s all shot and we have started editing,” said Lanthimos. “It’s a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts. It was almost like making three films, really. But it’s great to be working again with Emma. It makes it so much easier to have someone there who trusts you so much, and who you trust so much.”
Joining Stone in the cast of ‘Kindness’ are Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schafer.
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So, how did the relationship between Lanthimos and Stone come about? Well, according to the filmmaker, he knew immediately that it was going to be a good pairing, from the moment they first met.
“I just thought that she had something very special,” he explained. “I’d seen the work that she’d done, and I thought that she would be great for ‘The Favourite.’ She had seen ‘The Lobster’ and ‘Dogtooth,’ and she said, ‘I like what you do, so let’s just do it.’ She is ready to do whatever it takes to get things done. And apart from her being an incredible actress, it’s just being able to communicate with someone without having to explain anything, without having to use too many words. Just getting it.”
If “The Favourite” and “Poor Things” are any indication, the duo can do no wrong. It makes it all the more exciting to wonder what’s next. “Kind of Kindness” sounds like it’ll be yet another unique feature from Lanthimos, and the opportunity to see someone as talented as Stone play multiple roles, should be really interesting. Especially when you see how she gets lost in the characters for this particular filmmaker.