Emma Stone notes parallels between 'Bugonia' and alleged UHC CEO killer Luigi Mangione's case

Emma Stone connects Bugonia’s story of a kidnapped CEO to real-life case of alleged killer Luigi Mangione.

Emma Stone has drawn striking parallels between Yorgos Lanthimos’ new film Bugonia and the case of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Speaking during a Q&A at the Telluride Film Festival, Stone described the similarities as “terrifying.”

The actor, who also serves as a producer on the film, explained that production wrapped in 2024 shortly before Thompson was fatally shot and Mangione was taken into custody. The timing, she said, made the film’s subject matter feel unexpectedly close to reality.

In Bugonia, Stone portrays a ruthless CEO of a medical company who is kidnapped by a low-level employee played by Jesse Plemons. Convinced that Stone’s character is an alien from the Andromeda galaxy sent to destroy humanity, the employee holds her captive and subjects her to brutal treatment. The film’s storyline echoes elements of Mangione’s views, particularly his anger over how healthcare systems had failed families.

“What’s really crazy, after we had shot the film – I live in New York – we heard someone was shot up the street. It was a healthcare CEO. You know, because Luigi. You guys heard about this?” Stone told the audience at Telluride.

Reflecting on the eerie connection, she added, “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.”

Bugonia scheduled to have a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2025, before a wide release on October 31.