Emma Stone doesn't really do "normal" anymore. If you were expecting her to follow up that second Oscar win with a safe, big-budget superhero romp or a standard prestige drama, you haven't been paying attention to her recent vibe.
In 2025, she basically leaned entirely into the weird.
Working with Yorgos Lanthimos has clearly changed her DNA as an actress. It's like she found a frequency that most of Hollywood is too scared to touch. Throughout the last twelve months, we’ve seen her go from a bald, alien-hunting CEO to a high-stakes producer behind the scenes of a chess scandal movie.
The Bugonia Transformation
Let's talk about the hair. Or the lack of it.
When Emma Stone showed up with a shaved head for Bugonia, the internet collectively lost its mind. Honestly, it was a bold move. Most A-listers wouldn't touch a razor unless it was for a gritty biopic, but Emma did it for a sci-fi comedy about a CEO getting kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who think she’s an alien.
The movie, which hit theaters in late 2024 and dominated the conversation well into 2025, is a remake of the South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!. It's chaotic. It’s dark. And it’s exactly why people are obsessed with Emma Stone 2025.
She’s no longer just the "girl next door" from Easy A. She’s become this generational muse for high-concept, uncomfortable art.
Award Season and the "Butter Dress"
By the time the 2026 awards circuit started kicking off in early January, everyone was looking at Emma again. She didn't win the Golden Globe this year—Rose Byrne took that one home for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You—but she absolutely won the red carpet.
You’ve probably seen the photos. The "stick of butter" dress.
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It was a custom Louis Vuitton two-piece, buttery yellow, with a cropped top that showed off her abs. It felt very "Emma." Effortless but slightly strange. Her hairstylist, Mara Roszak, went for these soft, shiny waves in her current bob-length grow-out. It’s a far cry from the "Spiced Sienna" pixie cut she was sporting during the Bugonia press tour at the Venice Film Festival.
What's Actually on Her 2025 Slate?
People keep asking what’s next.
While Bugonia is now streaming on Peacock (it landed there right after Christmas), her focus has shifted to her production company, Fruit Tree. She’s not just a face for hire.
- Checkmate: She’s producing this one with her husband Dave McCary and Nathan Fielder. It's based on that wild 2022 chess scandal involving Magnus Carlsen and the "anal bead" conspiracy theories. Yes, really.
- Eddington: She spent a good chunk of the year working on this Ari Aster film. It’s a contemporary western, and the cast is ridiculous—Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler.
- Cruella 2: It's still in the "development" pile. Don't hold your breath for a 2025 release, but the gears are turning.
Why She’s Winning the Long Game
Most actors hit a peak and then try to stay there by repeating the same formula. Emma Stone is doing the opposite. She is actively trying to confuse us, and it's working.
She’s choosing collaborators over "content."
She’s leaning into her partnership with A24. She’s sticking with Lanthimos for a fifth time. She’s working with Nathan Fielder again after the fever dream that was The Curse.
The lesson here is pretty simple: the most interesting version of a career is the one where the artist stops caring about being "likable" and starts caring about being interesting.
Next Steps for the Emma Stone Fan:
- Watch Bugonia on Peacock: If you missed the theatrical run, it’s the best way to see her most recent "unhinged" performance.
- Track Eddington Updates: This is the big one for 2026. Keep an eye on A24’s release schedule for the first trailer.
- Rewatch The Curse: If you want to understand her 2025 creative choices, you have to see where the Fielder/Stone collaboration started.