Emma Stone Thanks ‘Poor Things’ Screenwriter for ‘I Must Go Punch That Baby’ Line in BAFTAs Speech: ‘It Was Life-Changing’

During her BAFTA award acceptance speech on Sunday, Emma Stone expressed gratitude towards her mother for giving birth to her and Tony McNamara, who wrote the screenplay for "Poor Things," for the memorable line, "I must go punch that baby."

While on stage, Stone expressed her gratitude towards Tony and his line, “I need to go punch that baby,” which had a great impact on her life. She also thanked director Yorgos Lanthimos, the rest of the cast and crew, and her dialect coach, Neil Swain, for their support and contributions.

During the making of the movie, I portrayed a character who was a British national. Although I originally pronounced the word 'water' the American way as 'wahter,' Neil helped me correct my pronunciation to 'wart-ter.' I must say, I appreciated his efforts to assist me and give me pointers without ridiculing me. Therefore, I feel grateful to the people of England for accepting me.

The performer expressed gratitude towards her mother during the speech. She praised her mother as the most exceptional person in the world, who fills her with inspiration day after day. Her mother instilled in her the belief that she could accomplish such a remarkable achievement. The performer is immensely thankful to her mother as none of this, including her existence, would be possible without her. A big shout out to her mom for everything!

During a post-awards press conference, Stone revealed that she had taken on the role of a producer for the film "Poor Things". She went on to express how meaningful this experience was for her, considering it was her first time producing and acting simultaneously. Stone was thrilled to be part of the project both in front of and behind the camera, emphasizing how incredible the opportunity was for her.

In the movie "Poor Things," Stone takes on the role of Bella, a character similar to Frankenstein. Bella is created by a Victorian doctor who lives in seclusion. Although she appears to be an adult woman, Bella starts the film with the mental capacity of a very young child. She then goes on a journey filled with sexual encounters as she tries to comprehend the world around her.

Stone was a nominee in the Best Leading Actress category, facing off against other formidable actresses like Fantasia Barrino in “The Color Purple,” Sandra Hüller in “Anatomy of a Fall,” Vivian Oparah in “Rye Lane,” Carey Mulligan in “Maestro,” and Margot Robbie in “Barbie.”

Stone has won the BAFTA award for the second time. She won this prestigious award earlier in 2017 when she played the leading actress in "La La Land" alongside Ryan Gosling. In the recent ceremony, Gosling was also nominated for best supporting actor for his act in "Barbie" but left the event empty-handed.

Stone has earned three prior nominations in the past. One came in 2011 for the Rising Star award, another in 2015 for her role as a supporting actress in "Birdman", and one more in 2019 for leading actress in "The Favourite."

Next month at the Academy Awards, she is being nominated for the prestigious Best Actress Oscar.

The movie "Poor Things" got a lot of recognition at the BAFTAs, with a total of 11 nominations. Only Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" had more nominations. "Poor Things" ended up winning five awards, which included best production design and costume.

Despite being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director next month, Director Lanthimos was overlooked in his current category.

In total, the movie has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards, with one of the categories being the most important one, Best Picture.