Good Luck, Babe: Emma Stone’s Insight on Bugonia

Key Highlights

• Character Trait: Emma Stone’s character in Bugonia lip-syncs Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” in her car.
• Music Choice: The song was approved quickly for a scene that was shot shortly thereafter.
• Additional Music: Jesse Plemons’ character listens to Green Day’s “Basket Case” during a crucial moment.
• Improvisation: Aidan Delbis brought unexpected humor to a pivotal dinner scene.

Emma Stone’s Bugonia character may be a high-powered CEO with more wealth than most people could ever dream of, but she does have one super relatable quality: She lip-syncs the hell out of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” in her car.

In a junket interview with Mashable, Stone said that using the song “just felt so right.”

“She — or her team — was amazing and approved this song within 24 hours of us asking, which was really great, because we needed to shoot the scene, like, two days later,” Stone continued. “That was just good luck, babe.”

But Roan’s 2024 smash hit isn’t the only major needle drop in Bugonia. Jesse Plemons’ conspiracy theorist Teddy also jams out to Green Day’s “Basket Case” during a pivotal scene, a choice that came about through on-set discussions.

“We were just thinking about all the music that Teddy would be listening to,” Stone said.

“I remember you mentioning Green Day, then,” Plemons recalled.

However, Stone also had another idea for Teddy’s big song: “Pepper” by Butthole Surfers.

“I’m really obsessed with Butthole Surfers,” Stone said. “I really think that Teddy would listen to Butthole Surfers.”

Stone and Plemons also dug into one of Bugonia‘s richest scenes: a dinner stand-off between Michelle and Teddy, where Teddy’s cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) proves to be a comedic wild card.

“The only thing we didn’t factor in [while preparing to shoot the scene] was Aidan’s incredible improv,” Stone said. “Aidan kept going, ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’ and Yorgos [Lanthimos] was like, ‘This is incredible,’ and kept it in the movie.’

Watch the full interview above for more from Stone and Plemons about the music and madness of Bugonia.

Bugonia is now in theaters.