Oscars 2024 Review: 10 Ups & 6 Downs
3. Emma Stone's Shock Best Actress Win
There was only one surprise acting win of the night, and it saw Emma Stone scoop the Best Actress gong for her performance in Poor Things, edging out expected winner Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon).
Though Gladstone and Stone have been battling for frontrunner status all Oscar season, most pundits pegged Gladstone to take the win after she won the SAG award for Best Actress a few weeks ago.
Furthermore, with Stone already having an Oscar to her name, and the historical significance of Gladstone being the first Native American winner, the narrative wrote itself.
While many were shocked by Stone's win, it's absolutely a deserved victory.
Stone's bold, uncompromising performance ranks among the strongest Best Actress wins of the entire 21st century, and while a Gladstone win would've been great, history will absolutely look kindly on Stone's more provocative, challenging work taking the award home.