Emma Stone and Margaret Qualley’s seemingly heated interaction at the 2025 Oscars was not what it seemed, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling.
“It looks like Margaret is about to square up in this scene, giving Emma her mean girl look,” Hickling told the Daily Mail of the viral clip of the pair’s exchange at the Academy Awards on March 2.
Despite appearing to be a confrontational moment between Qualley and Stone, Hickling said, “Don’t worry, they are not fighting though.
“In fact, Margaret says to Emma, ‘Yeah, and I am about to freak out.’”
In the video, the “Substance” star is seen walking toward Stone while talking animatedly and nodding her head as the “La La Land” actress backs away.
Qualley’s husband, Jack Antonoff, is standing close to the duo but doesn’t participate in the interaction.
“They do this all the time,” Hickling explained to the Daily Mail, referring to Stone and Qualley’s previous exchanges at industry events.
In fact, the two previously had a jokingly aggressive interaction at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
In a TikTok video shared by Brut last May, the “Poor Things” co-stars playfully got in each other’s faces and pretended to be in an argument on the red carpet.
However, fans believed that Qualley, 30, and Stone, 36, were really upset with each other at this year’s Oscars.
“That was a bit aggressive! Need details,” one netizen commented on the viral TikTok video, while another echoed, “I thought they were fighting 😭😭😭.”
Meanwhile a third fan asked, “Why is Emma backing away from her like that lol.”
A fourth social media user echoed Hickling, commenting, “For a moment i thought Margaret was ready to square up 🤣😅.”
Page Six reached out to reps for both Qualley and Stone for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Stone — who won best actress at the 2024 Oscars — served as a presenter at the Academy Awards earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Qualley performed a dance routine in the James Bond tribute and supported her co-star Demi Moore’s nomination for “The Substance.”
Antonoff had a viral moment of his own during the ceremony with his jaw-dropping reaction to Moore’s best actress loss to “Anora” star Mikey Madison.
