In a lively and unconventional Q&A session that has caught widespread attention, Dakota Johnson took on moderator duties for a screening of the film Bugonia, adding a distinctive spark to the evening. The event unfolded at the CAA Screening Room on November 14, as part of the film’s ongoing awards season promotions, with Johnson’s questions mixing humor and candor. The Dakota Johnson Bugonia Q&A has since become a notable highlight among discussions of the film’s campaign trail.
Emma Stone, accompanied by co-star Jesse Plemons and director Yorgos Lanthimos, joined in the spirited conversation, where the boundaries between formal interview and playful banter seemed to blur, much to the delight of the audience and the participants themselves.
Award Season Context and Setting the Stage
The event took place just two days before the 2025 Governors Awards, amid a packed schedule of events designed to promote Bugonia and sustain Oscar buzz for Stone, Plemons, and Lanthimos. The trio had already spent months on the campaign circuit since the film’s premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, but the atmosphere took an infectious turn when Johnson helmed the moderator’s chair. Her unfiltered style energized an already captivated audience, providing a break from the more rehearsed tone of previous Q&A sessions.
Dakota Johnson’s Unorthodox Moderation Style
From the outset, Johnson set an irreverent tone, stating bluntly,
“I’m an idiot. No one vetted me before I came in here. O.K. So this movie is one of the first that you have signed on to direct that you weren’t fully involved in writing. Am I right?”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
This pointed question prompted laughter, and director Yorgos Lanthimos confirmed it was accurate. The conversation quickly turned to the film’s origins, with Johnson recalling its early working title and probing how Lanthimos approached directing a project he did not co-author from inception. Lanthimos responded in depth, explaining that it was a uniquely smooth process for him, as the film’s script was nearly ready upon receipt, sparing him years of usual development work and letting him focus on adapting the material with screenwriter Will Tracy.
He described how the collaborative process with Tracy allowed him to tweak the film for his directorial style, with a rapid turnaround that included sending the script to Emma Stone on the same night he first read it. This collaborative approach, he explained, led to assembling a core group of returning and new team members for production, creating a sense of familiarity on set even with new material.
Behind-the-Scenes Insights: Hair, Makeup, and Movie Magic
Johnson’s questions did not shy away from the physical rigors and oddities faced by Emma Stone for the role. She asked directly,
“Shaving your head. Do you want to talk about that?”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Stone responded with characteristic understatement,
“No, thank you. It was fine and it was freeing.”
—Emma Stone, Actress
Pressing further, Johnson noted the challenges of acting while covered in various substances on set, joking about whether it was lard or some kind of antihistamine cream. Stone cleared up the confusion:
“It’s a mixture of movie magic where it’s not really like a Benadryl antihistamine cream,”
—Emma Stone, Actress
“It was a variety of creams that we tested, actually, those extensively, because you do learn quickly that if you have to be covered in a cream for 13, 14 hours a day…”
—Emma Stone, Actress
Johnson added with a laugh,
“You want it to do nice stuff too,”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Stone elaborated, sharing one of the lesser-known technical challenges for actors on set:
“Well, your skin temperature changes, and it changes for the continuity where you’re like throughout the scene, it has to hold up and be at all different stages. So that was a shockingly big discussion and process.”
—Emma Stone, Actress
The conversation took a further detour into the film’s use of blood and special effects makeup, with Johnson teasing Stone for managing to remain striking despite the taxing looks:
“And also the blood, which goes away and appears and then goes away in stages… Who on earth looks so beautiful with a shaved head covered in blood…”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Stone quipped in reply,
“See! Now she’s really turned it on!”
—Emma Stone, Actress
“Thanks. That’s very nice to say.”
—Emma Stone, Actress
Exploring Creative Collaboration and On-Set Dynamics
Johnson continued her candid approach, even poking fun at director Lanthimos’s preference for working with Emma Stone:
“This is your fourth collaboration with Emma. Are you aware that there are other actresses? Maybe even very close by?”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
This question broke the panel up, with Jesse Plemons and Stone attempting to deflect with humor. The moderator clarified the jest, then pressed for honest answers about the creative atmosphere during filming, asking the cast and director if conflicts ever rose, whether they enjoyed each other’s company, and whether Plemons felt like the outsider among a close-knit core group:
“No, I’m wondering about your collaboration with each other. How often do you fight? Do you hate each other? Do you actually love each other? What is it like on set, Jesse? Give us the fucking real, real. What’s it like? [And] the second half of that question is, do you feel left out?”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Plemons responded with openness about his feelings as a relative newcomer to the director’s style:
“I mean, when I did ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ I definitely felt like the new kid at school a little bit. I think my first time meeting Emily was the first day of rehearsals, which was unlike anything I had experienced. And I think it was just me and maybe three other first timers, and then four or five actors that had all done it before. And so yeah, it is a little stepping into some new, strange school, but then…”
—Jesse Plemons, Actor
With playful banter, Johnson continued:
“You feel like you’re replacing Emma,”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
And Plemons responded in kind:
“I mean, that’s what I’m getting at,”
—Jesse Plemons, Actor
The discussion then turned earnest as Johnson highlighted Plemons’s remarkable physicality in the movie and sought to understand his process and the group’s rehearsal methods:
“It’s not about the movie at all. I’m so sorry. Go on, my real question…you are so immensely talented, and it is insane to watch you work. Your physicality in this movie is different than anything I’ve ever seen you do, and I want to know where that came from. And also, I want to understand from the two of you and Yorgos how you guys worked. How often did you rehearse?”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Plemons gave insight into their approach:
“Thank you for all of that. It’s just step by step and piece by piece, and you’re following what is interesting to you, and then you meet more of the collaborators, and that influences your choices and the direction you make. And then we had a very shortened rehearsal period for this because we were promoting ‘Kinds of Kindness’ right up until we were shooting pretty much. But it’s hard to say how it happens. It’s just sort of circling something over and over and over again and gaining little pieces of inspiration. I remember early on, though, especially once those are extensions and my hair. The losing of the hair and then the gaining of the hair. [Laughs.] There was a while there where when I first got the extensions, then I would come up to Yorgos and it was maybe experimenting with some of the physicality. And every time he’d see me, he would just laugh. It was like, ‘I dunno if this is good.’”
—Jesse Plemons, Actor
The discussion provided a glimpse into the unusual rehearsal routines of Lanthimos’s productions, where structured blocking is secondary to playful games and exploration, heightening improvisation and discovery among cast members.
The Emotional Highs and Comic Dismount
As the Q&A drew to a close, Johnson reflected aloud on the experience, admitting:
“I regret doing this. I’ll never do it again. You warned me.”
—Dakota Johnson, Moderator
Plemons attempted to reassure her:
“It really hasn’t been that bad.”
—Jesse Plemons, Actor
Lanthimos brought levity, jesting about Johnson’s performance as moderator:
“I think you’re the third best moderator that we’ve had.”
—Yorgos Lanthimos, Director
Stone, ever supportive, put a positive spin on the remark:
“That’s huge. That’s huge. That’s a lot of, that’s a bronze. I mean, you’ve medaled.”
—Emma Stone, Actress
Implications for ‘Bugonia’ and What Lies Ahead
The unexpected and viral Dakota Johnson Bugonia Q&A has not only entertained fans and industry insiders alike but also injected fresh excitement into the film’s Oscar campaign. The candid, sometimes chaotic discussion showcased the offbeat chemistry among Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Yorgos Lanthimos, and their collaborators, giving audiences a glimpse into the creativity and camaraderie that shaped the movie.
With Bugonia now screening nationwide, the Q&A’s viral success may help sustain interest among both critics and the general public, keeping the film and its cast front-of-mind as awards season progresses. This session, marked by vulnerability, humor, and candid moments, underscored why unique campaign events can shape the public narrative around a movie during a crucial moment in its release.
