Emma Stone’s ‘Bugonia’ L.A. Premiere Stuns Fans with Bold Head-Shaving Requirement & Yes It’s Real
Emma Stone’s new film Bugonia is holding a very unusual screening in Los Angeles. Fans who want to attend must either be bald or shave their heads at the event to match Stone’s character in the movie.
DoLA shared the rules on Instagram, saying, “Have hair? A barber will be on-site starting at 6 p.m. to shave it all off. Screening starts at 8 p.m. This is real. And yes, part of it will be filmed.” The screening will be at the Culver Theater, tickets are first-come, first-served, and attendees must be 18 or older.
Bugonia marks the fourth time Stone has worked with director Yorgos Lanthimos, following The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023), and Kinds of Kindness (2024). In the film, Stone plays a powerful CEO who is kidnapped by two young men who believe she is secretly an alien trying to destroy Earth. Other cast members include Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone.
BUGONIA. A Yorgos Lanthimos film.
— Bugonia (@bugoniafilm) June 26, 2025
Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. Only in theaters October. pic.twitter.com/6MIFJnY3Qf
Earlier this year, Stone spoke to Vogue about shaving her head for the role. She called the experience empowering, saying it was “No better feeling in the world.” However, it was also personal for her. Stone recalled that she “burst into tears in her trailer” before the haircut, thinking of her mother, Krista Stone, who shaved her head during cancer treatment.
Bugonia is an absurdist black comedy and an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! The film is a co-production between Ireland, South Korea, and the United States.
Development began in 2020 with Jang Joon-hwan attached to direct and Tracy adapting the screenplay. Ari Aster joined as a producer, and by early 2024, Lanthimos took over as director while Stone signed on as both actress and producer. Jesse Plemons joined the cast later that year. Filming took place in England, Georgia, and later in Milos, Greece.
Bugonia had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on August 28, and is set to be released in U.S. theaters on October 24, by Focus Features.
From my perspective, this screening is one of the boldest and most creative promotional ideas I’ve seen in a while. Asking fans to shave their heads to match a character is extreme, but it shows how immersive experiences can bring people closer to a film. Would you shave your head to see Bugonia? Share your thoughts in the comments.