Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling weighs in on the seemingly heated exchange between Emma Stone and Margaret Qualley at the recent 2025 Oscars.
The viral interaction showed the two appearing to nearly square off as The Substance star leaned in close to the two-time Academy Award winner, who was slowly backing away.
However, despite what appeared to be a confrontation between the Hollywood actresses, it seems it wasn’t what it looked like.
A Playful Banter, Not a Fight
In an interview with Daily Mail, Hickling admitted that Stone and Qualley looked like they were about to start a fight, with the Poor Thing star giving a “mean girl look.”
However, she ensured that it wasn’t a serious argument.
“Don't worry, they are not fighting though. They do this all the time,” she said. “In fact, Margaret says to Emma, ‘Yeah and I am about to freak out.’”
Qualley’s husband, Jack Antonoff, also looked surprised when his wife and Stone seemed to have a serious confrontation. But he just let them do their thing and didn’t participate.
If they were indeed fighting, he could have tried to stop them.
If truth be told, this wasn’t the first time that Stone and Qualley seemed to try to get on each other’s nerves.
They previously had an unserious aggressive interaction at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where they said things to each other’s faces and pretended to be arguing while on the red carpet.
Fans React to Emma Stone and Margaret Qualley’s Alleged Tense Exchange
In Access Hollywood’s TikTok post featuring Stone and Qualley’s video, fans couldn’t help but share their reactions, speculating on what was really happening between the two.
One TikToker believed they were genuinely fighting, while another questioned why Stone appeared to be backing away from Qualley.
However, TikTok user Elenii assured everyone that the pair wasn’t fighting, explaining that they do this regularly.
“Just so you all know, they do this at almost every awards show they go to. It’s their inside joke. Do some research before commenting on what you don’t know, people,” Jake added.
What Fans Didn’t See
Amid the allegations of a heated exchange between Stone and Qualley, what fans didn’t see was their apparent fondness for each other.
After their alleged fight, Qualley was all smiles when a woman approached Stone. The moment the woman left, she then talked to Stone like nothing happened.
At the same event, the La La Land star helped fix Qualley’s gown after she accidentally stepped on it.
Stone bent down and pulled the gown from under Qualley’s feet to prevent her from tripping. Qualley then turned around to adjust it.
So, regardless of what everyone says, what happened at the 2025 Oscars was clearly all in good fun.
In fact, Stone and Qualley’s friendship extends beyond the red carpet and into the real world.
The two worked together in the 2024 movie Kinds of Kindness and have been seen sharing playful moments at various events.
By the looks of it, it won’t be the last time fans will see them together—either jokingly fighting or having fun.