Emma Stone called out for comments on Luigi Mangione case

Emma Stone has been branded as 'detached from reality' after she compared her latest film to the Luigi Mangione case - and asked audiences if they had 'heard' of it. The 36-year-old actress plays a high-powered CEO of a medical company who gets kidnapped by an employee played by Jesse Plemons in Yorgos Lanthimos's latest film, Bugonia.

Mangione is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father-of-two, outside a Manhattan hotel while he was attending a work conference on December 4, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges in connection with the December murder . If Mangione is convicted, federal prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Speaking at a Q&A for the project at Telluride Film Festival on August 30, Emma said that she found 'terrifying' similarities between the movie's plot and the Mangione case. 'What's really crazy, after we had shot the film – I live in New York – we heard someone was shot up the street,' she said.

'It was a healthcare CEO. You know, because Luigi. You guys heard about this?' Emma continued: 'It was wild, because we had all just been in a basement [filming] together, talking about these issues and the bigger meaning of everything. 'It keeps hitting you that the world is so deeply fraught and terrifying in so many ways.'

Emma's comments have been fiercely criticized by social media users who were quick to call her out. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one said: 'Wow she's ignorant.' 'Wow lost a lot of respect for her but then again, what does she know?' asked another.

A third quipped: 'Completely detached from reality.' 'Don't think she was this out of touch!' wrote a fourth. Echoing a similar sentiment, another said: 'Wow she's ignorant.' 'Emma please just talk about your performance…' added a sixth.

Bugonia is described as a 'satirical absurdist science fiction dark comedy' and is based on a screenplay by Will Tracy. The film focuses on two young men who kidnap a powerful CEO, suspecting that she is secretly an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

It is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan. Emma stars opposite Jesse in leading roles with Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone appearing in supporting roles.

The actress's comments come weeks after actor Dave Franco responded to calls for him to portray Mangione in a biopic, should such a project ever arise. Appearing on Watch What Happens Live! he said: 'Oh, how do I answer this? 'No one has approached me about it yet, I'll say that. This is something that more people in my life reached out about this exact thing than anything else that has ever happened. 'Let's just say I'm open if the right people… and let's just leave it at that.'