Emma Stone Says She Believes in Aliens at Venice Film Festival
Emma Stone is ready to phone E.T.
The Oscar-winning actress had fans buzzing at the Venice Film Festival press conference for her new movie Bugonia when she revealed her stance on extraterrestrial life — and let’s just say she’s a believer.
According to Variety, “I don’t know about looking down on us,” Stone began when asked if she thinks there’s higher intelligence watching over humanity. “But one of my favorite people who has ever lived is Carl Sagan. I fell madly in love with his philosophy and science. He very deeply believed the idea that we’re alone in this vast, expansive universe is a pretty narcissistic thing. So yes, I’m coming out and saying it — I believe in aliens!”
The comment fit right in with her new film’s storyline. Bugonia, directed by her longtime collaborator Yorgos Lanthimos, is a black comedy in which Stone plays a powerful CEO kidnapped by two conspiracy theorists convinced she’s actually an alien sent to destroy Earth.
Jesse Plemons stars alongside her as a beekeeper-turned-conspiracist, with Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone rounding out the cast.
When another journalist playfully asked how she handles her success “without turning into an alien,” Stone leaned into the joke. “How do you know I’m not an alien?” she teased, before turning reflective. “There’s me, and then there’s me here. There’s the person who comes to events like this, and then there’s the person I am with my friends and family. They’re the same person, but it’s what I do to keep myself sane.”
Director Lanthimos, known for his surreal storytelling, laughed when asked his own opinion on extraterrestrials, saying: “That’s a very complicated question to answer in a serious way.”
The Venice premiere marks the third Lanthimos film in as many years starring Stone. Their past collaborations include Poor Things (2023), which won the Golden Lion at Venice and later earned Stone her second Oscar, and Kinds of Kindness (2024), which premiered at Cannes and won Jesse Plemons the festival’s Best Actor prize.
Bugonia is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!, written by The Menu co-writer Will Tracy. The film premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival before hitting theaters on October 24.
So, do you think Emma Stone is onto something about aliens — or was it all just Hollywood humor?
