The One Mistake That Gave Away Emma Stone’s Bald-Head Secret

Emma Stone tried to pull off the rare Hollywood magic trick: shave her head for a role and keep it quiet. The wig strategy might have worked, except for one tiny issue — she cannot stop telling people things. So yes, the secret lasted about as long as a red-carpet step-and-repeat.

The wig caper that unraveled immediately

While making the rounds for Yorgos Lanthimos' new film 'Bugonia', Stone showed up to events in a very good wig. Then she went on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and admitted she basically self-sabotaged the whole operation by whispering to anyone within five feet that she was wearing one. Fans even lip-read a clip and caught her mouthing that the hair was fake. Unsurprisingly, X got there fast — one user, @em1lystone, clocked it in real time.

'It was a great wig... I am so unsubtle that I kept asking people, Can you tell it is a wig? I moved it around, I whispered about it — I was really bad at keeping any secrets.'

Why she wanted the bald head under wraps

This was not a vanity thing; it was a rollout thing. Stone shaved her head to play a very powerful CEO in 'Bugonia' and wanted the look revealed later, ideally in a trailer or first-look — same playbook as 'Poor Things', where nobody saw Bella's long black hair until marketing dropped and everyone went, Oh. Because there were no on-set candids this time either, she figured she could keep the surprise going. The trade-off: three months of beanies. She did not love that part. The twist ending is she wound up liking the cut anyway and showed off a grown-out pixie at the 2025 Golden Globes this past March.

So, what is 'Bugonia'?

Lanthimos' latest is a sci-fi, absurdist black comedy and the English-language remake of Jang Joon-hwan's 2003 cult film 'Save the Green Planet!'. It is a co-production between Ireland, South Korea, and the U.S., with Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller, a high-powered executive who becomes the target of two conspiracy-addled young men — Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) — after they convince themselves she is an alien planning to wipe out Earth. Also in the mix: Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone.

• World premiere: In competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival on August 28 (this year)
• U.S. release (Focus Features): Limited on October 24, wide on October 31, 2025
• Early scores (as of now): 90% Tomatometer and 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes; 7.6/10 on IMDb; 4/5 on Letterboxd
• Budget: Estimated between $45 million and $55 million

Between the bold look, the very Emma honesty about failing the wig test, and a premise that is both grim and ridiculous in the best Lanthimos way, this one is already buzzing. Catch 'Bugonia' in theaters October 31.