Emma Stone ‘Vocally Hated’ Original Title for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness

Emma Stone revealed that she had never liked the original title for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness — “And” she had some valid points.

Kinds of Kindness, which debuted stateside on June 21, had gone through some massive title changes during its earlier phases of development. According to Stone, who also headlined Lanthimos’ box office hit Poor Things, she’s the only one who voiced her contempt over the film’s original title.

What were the original titles for Kinds of Kindness?

During her appearance in SiriusXM’s The Spotlight With Jessica Shaw (via TheWrap), the actress and her Kinds of Kindness castmates talked about the film’s origins. Initially titled “R.M.F.,” the project’s title was then changed to “And” before it’s officially called Kinds of Kindness — a considerably more acceptable change.

“I was the only one that vocally hated that name,” said Stone, referring to “And.” Willem Dafoe — who also starred in the feature — then chimed in, saying that the second title confuses people.

“We were shooting in New Orleans, and you’d meet someone on the street and they’d say, ‘Hey, Will. What you doing here?’ and I’d say, ‘I’m making a movie,’ and they’d say, ‘What’s it called?’ and I’d say, ‘And,’ and they’d say, ‘Yeah, yeah, but what’s the movie called?’ and I’d say, ‘And.’ He’d say, ‘And? What the hell? I mean, what kind of title is that?’” said Dafoe.

Stone then shared how she used to wonder how people would be able to search the project online, saying, “I remember sitting here multiple times, like, you know, how are people going to Google the movie? ‘And’ movie. ‘And’ showtimes.”

Loud and Clear Reviews’ Serena Seghedoni also shared a video of Dafoe, explaining his experience filming Kinds of Kindness when it was still titled “And.” You can check out the video below:

“Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader,” the synopsis reads.

The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn), Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer. Kinds of Kindness is now in select theaters.