Brian last week: 5 reasons why Emma Stone will win best actress Brian this week: 10 reasons why Emma Stone won best actress Brian next week: 25 ways in which the ancient Babylonian Code of Hammurabi prophesied Emma Stone’s second Oscar win in 1750 BC

I've seen a lot of people say that this was the 'only shot' Lily had of winning an Oscar, but I don't think so. Her performance was hugely acclaimed and I think she has a great career ahead of her. I hope so anyway: even if I prefer Emma Stone's performance, she was amazing!

My friend was a PA on one of her projects and he could not stop saying how nice she was to everyone!

She was so multifaceted in Poor Things. She had to make us believe she grew from a literal newborn to a rebellious teen, to an intelligent, compassionate, learned woman - WOW. She was great and I want to see it again.

With a less talented filmmaker, Poor Things could have easily been bait for the Razzies. Emma is really brave & talented for taking on this type of role.

Yorgos Lanthimos has directed Olivia Coleman and Emma Stone to Oscar victory. Now he needs to reunite with Rachel Weisz and direct her to a second Oscar and THE FAVOURITE trifecta will be complete

Michelle yeoh also had a very different narrative from Lily Gladstone veteran of the screen who had been passed over way too many times whereas Lily Gladstone is relatively new to the industry

You were so right with pointing out lily not getting a nomination at BAFTA as a hint of her not winning the Oscar. You nailed it.

One small but huge thing I appreciate in your videos is that when you mention a past win or nomination, you always name the film and year. Some people don't, and it makes the experience less satisfying. Great attention to detail, much appreciated!

Emma Stone has always been my favorite actress, dating all the way back to Superbad and Easy A. She is so deserving of all the accolades

Sometimes I wonder if I accidentally took crazy pills. Emma Stone gave such a dynamic and interesting performance that I didn’t even think I would see her get to do. She was a winner for me, easily, and I saw all those movies. She owned Poor Things.

I predicted Emma Gladstone

Emma's performance in "Poor Things" is one of the best acting performances I have seen in several years. Thank goodness I saw this movie in the theatre.

All the other pundits were completely wrong. Especially after Emma won the BAFTA and Lily wasn't even nominated. Sandra probably even beat Lily to 2nd place.

A big issue is that KOTFM put all their hopes of winning on Lily. The film was doing better and so was Lily (with early critics’ prizes) because the emphasis was on Scorsese, and the strengths of the movie as a whole. KOTM looked like a weak film overall compared to PT and I think it affected Gladstone and KOTFM in all categories.

I placed a lucrative bet on Emma Stone to win and I'm so proud of my winnings. I knew she'd win as her performance was extraordinary.

I also don't understand the recent winners cannot win oscars when literally Maheshala Ali has sandwich victory and Frances McDormand winning her 3rd Oscar short after her previous win. Heck, if we will factor other categories, Alejandro has even a back to back win for Directing

I also predicted Emma Stone would get it, because this year really didn't seem to be anything like last, except how the awards were split again. She definitely earned the Oscar this time around, and it really is too bad voters can't see the future, because knowing she won this time, makes it even more heartbreaking that Isabelle Huppert didn't the last time. Knowing Emma will have many more chances for a third, I just hope Lily is seriously afforded another chance. I also REALLY hope Annette gets another opportunity.

what i kept hearing is "this might be the best shot gladstone has at an oscar" and unfortunately i think that's true. when an acting category doesn't have a singular stand-out performance, i feel like everyone gravitates toward the biggest, loudest performance as a default. knowing the type of roles gladstone has been in, i don't see the academy championing quiet, subdued performances like the ones she often gives

Makeup and Hairstyling is now a major indicator for lead actor/actress. Amadeus, Driving Miss Daisy, La Vie en Rose, The Iron Lady, Dallas Buyers Club, Darkest Hour, and the past 3 years; The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Whale, and Poor Things. The Oscars don't love a narrative but SAG absolutely does. Lily going for lead was a smart decision. It adds value to her status as an actor. It will do her good in the future. She will get more lead roles rather than supporting. I don't think anyone in our lifetime will pass Meryl but Emma might be on the level of Bette Davis one day. She will be a future name check nominee because she's that good.

Poor Things was the most unexpected movie I’ve ever seen. I never thought I would actually love it. Just shows you how good it is. Emma killed it 💖.

I love your enthusiasm. Emma was amazing and her speech/reaction to her win was so real and emotional. Definitely the high point.

I always think transformative roles (playing distinct, historical figures or someone otherwise unusual) automatically give you a leg-up for awards if you do it right.

I couldn't agree with you more. Such a brilliant analysis as always. I love your posts, looking forward to the next one, thanks!

Gladstone could have possibly won if Scorsese wasn't so obsessed with wasting his time on Leo and the villanous activities. Did we really need to see AC Kirby rob a bank when we could have had more scenes with Lily.

hoping Lily Gladstone can get her Oscars Best Actress victory in the future also to Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Lupita Nyong'o, Viola Davis, Lady Gaga, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Adams, Angela Bassett, Regina King, Greta Lee, Angelina Jolie, Kristen Stewart & etc...

Love the videos, man. Keep it up!!!

Personally, I thought Sandra Hüller’s performance was more deserving from a pure acting perspective. But Emma Stone was a good choice.

Yay! Best win of the night and my personal favorite speech of the night. So glad the best performance in the four acting categories won!

Emma was definitely the best performance of the year 🎉

Within the first 10 minutes of Poor Things, I was locked in to the movie based solely on Ms. Stone's performance. And within 30 minutes, I was convinced she'd get best actress (and I hadn't seen any of the other performances).

I felt that Poor Things is not a film for everyone (personally, I thought it was the best film of 2023), but one thing you can't deny - Emma Stone's performance was the best of last year. She deserved this second Oscar - just as she deserved her first for La La Land. I can't wait for her next Oscar nomination.

I really do think that Emma, could have yet another Oscar in her career. making it 3. I have always been aware of her acting ability for years now. I have always said since i saw Paper Man/ Unlikely Hero. that Emma Stone, could win a Oscar, and she did of course in La La Land. and after that i thought it wont be to long till she gets another, and she did for Poor Things. Time will tell of course for a 3rd but i think it will happen.

She is this generation's Meryl Streep, hand's down.

Loved your video thanks ❤

1. Because Emma and Sandra were the best in their category 2. Because Flowers is SUPER LONG that Lily's role seemed so small (it wasn't.) 3. Lily's outstanding performances were based on Leo's character. She was reacting. More of a "they complimented each other" type of thing. 4. Flowers was NOT an actress' movie. It wasn't solely about showcasing her talent, it was about telling a dark story from US history. It's a movie critic's/historian's film. 5. Sandra and Emma's movies were about how far they can go, and how great they are. It's an award about who was the "Best Actress" and while that will always be subjective, Lily's win would have been a Kate Winslet-type of category fraud for The Reader. Lily's role in Flowers is NOT a leading actress-type performance. It's not as crazy as Michelle Williams' category fraud last year, but still, I watched Flowers twice (I know, I have a lot of time 😂) and I still can't see how she could be nominated for LEAD.

all valid reasons - having not seen Gladstone but knowing a bit of the role - Emma Stone had to create a persona, a character and not just play a person - physical and mental acrobatics - I can't say enough about how difficult I thought that role would have been to create

I got 21/23 on Golderby right. My best results yet. I knew Poor Things would overperform, and Emma would win. Honestly, people have this idea Oscars always go for narrative. The Academy takes into account multiple things: movies passion, performance, narrative, competition, etc... it's not just one thing. I feel like people where always focusing on the narrative for Gladstone and that's it. Brian, you were one of maybe another KZfaqr that stuck to his guns. Congrats. 🎉🎉🎉 Really excited for your predictions nexts year. You seem to know your stuff.

I was avoiding watching Poor Things because I'm not Yorgos Lanthimos previous works but after Emma won I decided to check it out and watched it this weekend and so glad I did was amazing performance by Emma Oscar deserved.

I think looking at the strength of the movie can be a good way to determine the outcome of lead performances as the lead performance is such a crucial part of a movies succes. Especially with Poor Things where Emma Stone's performance was heralded as the big highlight of the movie, it just didn't make sense that Emma wouldn't win if Poor Things was the stronger movie.

I never for a second though after seeing Poor Things that Emma would lose the Oscar. I liked Killers of the Flower Moon more than you Brian but still.. I always go by performance. And as you said Emma gave the performance of the year!

As sad as I am for Lily, great performance, Emma Stone's turn in Poor Things was just amazing. Best performance of 2023. And personally I didn't care for La La Land or her performance in it.

Emma Stone deserved that Oscar! She was amazing. The best performance of the year and one of the greatest performances of the decade! Lily should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, where she belonged. And America Ferrera being nominated for that cr4p performance was the joke...

Love your thoroughness, Brian, as always! I 100% agree that Lily Gladstone made the right decision campaigning for lead. I want more actors to do that - and I agree that Viola Davis could have won in lead for Fences (I would add that Mahershala Ali could have won over Rami Malek for lead in Green Book given that Green Book ultimately won Best Picture). Speaking of strong films, I do not think Lily Gladstone could have beaten Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the supporting category because Da’Vine was SWEEPING the supporting category from beginning to end. The Holdovers had a stronger performance this awards season with televised awards for Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa (Critic’s Choice). And I’m saying this as a Lily fan who wanted her to win Best Actress! In supporting, she might have gotten a BAFTA nomination, but The Holdovers over performed with BAFTA nominations and Killers of the Flower Moon missed many for which it was shortlisted, not just lead actress. So I think Lily took the right risk going in lead, and I don’t think she could have won over Da’Vine in supporting actress.

When I saw Poor Things I was like Emma's winning that Oscar. Like she DID THAT!

It went to her because she deserved it. She was so good in that movie!

Sandra was the best this Year, who was amazing in two of the best Movies of this year (The Zone Of Interest & Anatomy Of a Fall), if she was American she would sweep the Season

Michelle won not because of race but because she was also a standout performer that year similar to Cate. But with Michelle, her movie did exceptionally well so a lot of people saw that and hence more voters. You cannot equate Michelle with Lily, that was an average performance, in a movie that didnt do well.

I knew Emma was going to win, she nailed that role and it was truly the Best! Lily's role (IMO) was a bit one level, it's not a bad thing, but Emma gave us a performance unlike what we've seen before.

The ego's of Leo and Marty ruined killers of the flower moon. That could have been a Best Picture Winner if they had paired it down quite a bit Martin Scorsese had made her more the central protagonist of the film instead of Leonardo DiCaprio's super uninteresting character

Viola won SAG twice, once for The Help and another for Ma Raineys but went on to lose the Oscar both times for Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand respectively.

TWO TIMES ACADEMY AWARD WINNER EMMA STONE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Emma's Oscar win is well-deserved 👏 Her 3rd film with Yorgos Lanthimos Kinds of Kindness is coming out in June, and I'm curious about her Oscar chances with that film 🤔

Tbh, Emma deserved it. She was just fantastic in poor things…lily was also very good in killers of the flower moon, but Emma transformed into her role.

I was rooting hard for Lily but I actually changed my vote to Emma at the last minute. After Michelle Yeoh's win it was clear the Academy was hungry for something out the norm in performances and while Lily did do an amazing and I find Poor Things to be problematic, at the end of the day Lily would have gone in history for being the 1st Native American Best Actress with a solid performance but Emma Stone will go down in film history like Michelle Yeoh for one of the most eyebrow raising versatile Best Actress performances.

2 reasons Emma won: it was actually a lead performance. Gladstone’s was not. Them pushing the first native american to win this award is the second reason she won. It backfired. Gladstone was good. Dont get me wrong. But if you’re comparing the two… there is comparison. One is experimental, revolutionary, and fully lived in. The other is the equivalent to someone showing up to work on time. Good job but not enough to be a win. Its not gladstone’s movie, perspective, plotline or character arc.

I knew Emma was going to win too - it was obvious, I'm not a huge Emma fan, but actors vote for actors, and you can't deny it was a strong performance, better than Lily frankly. Lily was good, but Emma had a massive acting challenge and she hit it out of the park.

I stuck with Emma from the very beginning as well - thrilled (and glad I was correct) that she won!

the *better* performance won. No one should be mad about this 🍿🏆

When I left the theater upon watching poor things, I knew she had best actress clenched. I don't know what the pundits were smoking, because after seeing her performance next to Lily Gladstone. I knew Emma had it. Emma Stone carried that film every scene every act. Lily Gladstone may have had "wishful opinion" awakened for her, but call on Stone that she had it firmly in her mind body and soul was right. (btw, I had 3 picks wrong... boom!)

SAG wins are only voting actors. Oscar wins are the total academy voting, not just actors.

Lily had the Stone effect: Easily could have won in Best supporting actress category but she campaigned for Best Leading actress.... I always said her role was more of a side character and would have not made me happy if she wins Best actress.... However Emma literally carried the whole PT on her shoulders, literally any of her scenes could have been an Oscar clip. It was such an interesting experience..... Totally earned her 2nd Oscar!

Emma stone has another yorgos lanthimos movie coming out in june. She coming back again😂

I kept Emma as my guess too (by a slim margin tho lol) after SAG as well mostly because KotFM was not a major awards darling (wins-wise) or front runner in anything else. And with Emma and Lily seeming pretty neck-and-neck I was like 'I feel like the person in the better received movie has the advantage when it's so close.' Once Poor Things won technicals back-to-back, I was like 'yeah, I think it's Emma.' I will say I thought Emma having one already did hurt her chances (hence the 'slim margin') and I did not pay enough attention to Lily completely missing out at even a BAFTA nom (hence the 'slim margin' part 2 lol). I legit would have been super happy with Emma, Lily, or Sandra. All three of them gave absolute masterclass performances (in three very different ways) and I was in awe of all three of them tbh like what a great year for the Lead Actress category. I know Emma and Sandra will be back at the Oscars and Lily will too. I just know that WOC actresses have less opportunities to even audition for nuanced roles (since it's simply that less exist for them to go for) that lead them to the Oscars (especially for Lead), but I'm hopeful at the news of her upcoming roles that she'll be back in time. Bravo to all three of them tho!

She won because she's an acting ALIEN . Maybe she's the One who will break Katharine Hepburn's record of four wins !

I love lily so very much but emma ate that up babe yanno

I have always thought Emma Stone SHOULD be the winner because her performance in Poor Things was definitely the best of the year, certainly better than Lily Gladstone in Killer. Not to take away Gladstone’s performance, I believe she is having a bright career ahead of her! Her name and her face are out there now - she is good, she is young, and she’s been acting for some time already and getting better. Gladstone will be having a great future. Emma Stone’s performance in Poor Things was truly the performance of the year! I do agree on that comment! Well deserved!

I am glad i also stuck to predicting Emma, i knew people were too quick to dismiss BAFTA (from the day of the ceremony til the very last second) because of its bad record last 2 years. BAFTA has had a very good predictive body in the past and SAG had quite a few misses that were forgotten about

Poor Things was just by miles a stronger contender than Killers of the Flower Moon. This isn't like EEAAO and Tar getting almost equal love. Also the SAG being made up of actors is far more likely to single out a performance over the film which is why Lily Gladstone and Glenn Close (The Wife) won those. In contrast the bigger voting body of the Oscars tends to get influenced a bit more by the entire film overall which is why Emma Stone and Olivia Coleman had better chances with their far superior films.

Poor things also won gold lion in veniz film festival for best picture and that is important

Lily ahould have stayed in the supporting category.

I had Emma the whole season up until SAG, and then I switched. However, I knew deep inside it would be Emma. For me, it comes down to her being the actual lead in her film, and Lily felt more like a supporting role. Also, Emma was a producer in Poor Things as well, that added an extra layer to her involvement and investment in the film. She also had the bigger performance of the 2.

Why? Because Da’vine Joy Randolph was 100% sure to win. Otherwise if Lilly lost, Oscarsowhite would have been a big movement again!

I'm glad you pointed out the Anthony Hopkins win over Chadwick Boseman. Stone's and Hopkin's scenarios are identical. When their respective films hit the festival circuit both performances were heralded as unbeatable, brilliant, Oscar-in-waiting showstoppers. The talk on both diminished through the year with the rise of two narratives that may upset the apple cart, but, the Academy does the right thing and awards the superior performances. Both were destined to win.

I love Emma Stone and think that she is an incredible actress! She certainly deserves the Oscar! ❤

You didn't mention Jessica Chastain who won an Oscar for best actress in 2022 for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but it wasn't even nominated at Bafta's!

She won because her performance was by far the most memorable, daring, interesting and to my subjective opinion, the best performance of the year. She had no narrative at all, already a winner, she wasn't starring in an Important!!! film about the Holocaust or the genocide of American-Indians, or playing some historical figure, she played a role that's an anthesis to the usual Oscar winner. It's a comedic, complicated, provocative performance. And in spite of all that, she still won. Deservedly.

There is a lot of overlap between Oscar voters and voters for SAG and BAFTA. I really hope he starts to acknowledge this in the future. People who are voting for the Globes and Critics Choice are not Academy members. Yes winning the prize helps amplify your chances and shines a spotlight on your performance. However, SAG & BAFTA are critical due to the similar voting blocks were there are a lot of voters who are members of both the Academy & SAG & BAFTA or the Academy & SAG. Yes, screen time, performance, release date, and the campaign machine behind it also matter. I still feel if the Color Purple had come out sooner it would have done better. I think Zac Efron would have garnered some nominations somewhere if the Iron Claw did not come out so criminally late in the year.

She might be a two time academy award winner actress, but she could never fake the shock, surprise and breathless reaction of that night. She’s an amazing actress and always have seen like a great person. So happy for Emma, she deserves it

I'm British and my favourite film of the decade is Everything Everywhere All At Once... it will always be weird to me that BAFTA was the only major awards body to not fully embrace EEAAO for the big prizes, and it was such an outlier that it messed up predictions for this year.

Most branches of the Academy like big, showy performances, so Emma's win makes complete sense. If it were up to the actors it would've gone to Gladstone, who won the SAG. Lily was awarded by her peers, which is probably the greatest professional complement of all.

She won the oscar because the most voters voted for her. It's that simple.

I always pick Emma to win. I felt Lili's character isn't the core of the story of the film. That's what cost her

I really do love Emma Stone and she definitely deserves this one more than the last one but Gladstone and Hüller were both better imo

It was always a two horse race on Oscar night . But Emma’s showier performance gave her the edge coupled with Poor Things being a more popular and recognised film.

I think it was mostly that Poor Things was the more popular picture come awards season. Killers of the Flower Moon received some great reviews and tons of nominations but won very little, and nothing at the Oscars (literally the second time in a row Marty made a movie, got ten nominations and won nothing, like, seriously I feel like the Oscars have something against him, it was especially sad since most if not all of the Indigenous nominees who were nominated lost to previous winners). This is a shame because Killers of the Flower Moon is pretty damn good. I haven’t seen Poor Things (frankly it doesn’t look appealing to me) but I’m a Scorsese fan, of course I’m gonna prefer his movie generally. Whatever the case, I still think Gladstone was amazing in her movie and deserved that Best Actress nomination. I don’t even care about people’s opinions about her category.

Really, Michelle Yeoh, a woman of color? Why can't we just say she's a truly second time Asian woman (after Miyoshi Umeki) to win an Oscar?

I’m not even mad that Emma won even though I was really gunning for Lily. Emma delivered her Charlize Theron “Monster” performance in “Poor Things”. I do feel like Lily’s time is coming just by the reaction at the SAG Awards you can tell that the actors are ready for something new. She just needs that lead role and a truly unforgettable monologue. Thinking of something like Cloris Leachmen in “The Last Picture Show”. She almost did have a few monologues but Martin rewrote the script to bring Molly in more. If y’all think this is the last we’re going to see of Lily you’re wrong she’s about to have a hell of a career. I mean “The Memory Police” is already getting some Oscar Buzz for next year. She just needs a role where she isn’t silent but the role needs depth. Her acting feels so genuine like the scene when she’s in the basement and she finds out that her sister is dead that scream she let out was heartbreaking. If someone told me that Martin killed one of her family members before shooting that scene I would have believed it. Mark my words she will keep making history and opening doors. Her yearbook prophecy will come to fruition can y’all imagine if her and Josh Ryder win at the same ceremony now that would be ICONIC.

Firstly, thank you Brian for all your content, it's really been keeping me going through a rather tough time, and we tend to agree most of the time. Secondly, THANK YOU for mentioning Emma in The Curse. Every time I've had a debate with someone over why I thought Emma Stone was going to win the Oscar, I would mention The Curse. She gave an equally phenomenal, wholly unique, totally committed, and absolutely original performance that it was almost frightening (and sometimes, well, just frightening-- especially that clip you used of her in this video, ha). PLUS, she was also nominated for it at the Globes along with Poor Things. So was Sandra Huller (which if it wasn't for Emma, I'd have given the Oscar to her), but it just proved that this was Emma's year that she dominated. And of course, like you said, there was so much debate whether Gladstone was leading or supporting, which I think also went against her. I'll stop rambling, but I'm stoked Emma won. She's quickly become one of my top five favorite actresses working today after her double whammy of The Curse and Poor Things. Can't wait to see what she does next.

A minute and a half into your video and I'm like "yeah, Emma's performance was really taken there, how do you not reward that..."

I think this upcoming 2025 awards season between Angelina Jolie vs Jessica Lange maybe

Lily is a very good laid-back actress but Emma totally "carried" her movie. I think the Academy recognized the talent it took to front a Rated R film in this day and age.

The Awesomeness that Is Continues! 🏆👊😊✊🍁♈🍁

She won because she was simply the best out all acting nominees! All those “experts”, media outlets… all immediately jumped on Lily bandwagon. I’m happy to be one of those who felt and predicted that right. Happy for you! Thank you for this video❤Emma’s filmography is truly outstanding…maybe soon #3 will be in conversation 🤞😏

Sinking feeling that Lily was actually third.

Add another Yorgos film and the next Ari Aster film to Emma’s filmography as well!

I loved reason number 10 😁

Emma Stone's win for "Poor Things" will be seen as in a similar light like Gary Cooper's second Best Actor win for "High Noon." Does anybody remember his Oscar-winning performance in "Sargeant York?"

Despite all the buzz around Poor Things, I tried to not know anything about it and postponed watching it until the weekend before the oscars. I was also convinced that no matter how good Emma Stone was, the oscar would go to Gladstone nonetheless. However, when I finally watched the movie I was in such freaking awe at Emma's performance I couldn't wrap my head around anyone else winning. Thank God she won. Not that Gladstone didn't deserve it, but Stone is just on another level.

The biggest rob of the Oscars was Charles Melton not being nominated