Maybe it’s time to rethink the way we think about muses. With the arrival of “Kinds of Kindness,” the latest film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, the cliché of an artist and his muse has risen its hoary head once more. It makes sense: Not only is this is the third time the pair have worked together (the film had its limited opening on Friday), but the first two outings netted Stone a supporting actress Oscar nomination (for “ The Favourite ” in 2018) and a best actress win (for last year’s “ Poor Things ”).
Clearly, Stone meets the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of a muse: “a person (often a female lover) or thing regarded as the source of an artist’s inspiration; the presiding spirit or force behind any person or creative act.”.
