Emma Stone, 35, experienced an unexpected twist during her Oscar acceptance speech at the 96th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night.
The actress, who won the Best Actress award for her role in “Poor Things,” issued a playful warning to the audience, urging them not to look at the back of her dress.
Stone, donned in a floor-length strapless gown with a peplum skirt, seemed genuinely surprised by her win when fellow actress Michelle Yeoh announced it. As Stone stood up to accept the award and hugged her cast members, she discreetly touched the clasps on the back of her mint-colored dress, indicating at least one had come undone.
Addressing the wardrobe malfunction head-on, Stone stepped up to the microphone with her Oscar in hand and humorously confessed, “My dress has broken.” She attributed the mishap to Ryan Gosling’s performance of the song from Barbie earlier in the ceremony, saying, “I think it happened during ‘I’m Just Ken.’ I’m pretty sure,” accompanied by a lighthearted laugh.
Despite the unexpected glitch, Stone’s tearful speech expressed gratitude to the film’s team and her family. She concluded with a reminder to the audience, “Don’t look at the back of my dress!”
The actress faced tough competition in the Best Actress category, including Annette Bening for “Nyad,” Lily Gladstone for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Sandra Hüller for “Anatomy of a Fall,” and Carey Mulligan for “Maestro.” Stone and Gladstone were considered frontrunners, with Stone clinching her second Best Actress Oscar, having previously won in 2017 for “La La Land.” Gladstone made history as the first Native American to be nominated for an acting Oscar for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart.