Oscar favorite Lily Gladstone is really looking forward to the end of the award swing. She said, “We’re so close to the end…so close to sweatpants.” The formal setting and feeling of being under a microscope with immense and exhaustive scrutiny from cinephiles and peers (rivals) can leave them drained and alone. Competing for votes and watching a peer win is usually taken graciously, with maybe some, to quote Neil Patrick Harris’ opening number from 2015 “secretly pulling off a Kanye West” behind the scenes. However, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone, Oscar Lead Actress frontrunners, may not have this concern as there is a budding friendship initiated with a clever wordplay-based gift. 

Hours ahead of the duo heading in for yet another ceremony of Stone vs Gladstone, the Killers of The Flower Moon actress had nothing but words of praise for her Poor Things counterpart. Lily Gladstone told Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall, “Yep, yep, she…I had this beautiful sweet little package delivered after the Globes, with a ring with the Infinity Stones on them. Cause I definitely mean we’re playing on the common name thing. Gladstone-Stone. It’s like we’re the Infinity Stones and to Infinity and beyond is the whole thing.”

The special name play and a connection to two pop culture references (The Avengers and Buzz Lightyear) are quite endearing to see among the Stone-Gladstone duo. 

Ring references can even take us to The Rings of Power. Stone and Gladstone won the Golden Globe Awards, for Best Actress (Motion Picture Musical & Comedy) and Best Actress (Motion Picture-Drama), respectively. In the aftermath, the La La Land actress won the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTA; Gladstone won the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It seems as though the Stone and Gladstone’s Infinity Stone rings are the lucky charm (the rings of power),

Lily Gladstone went on to highlight some qualities in her friend Emma Stone.

Lily Gladstone reasoned why Emma Stone is an incredible performer

Award swing means heading to ballroom and convention centers, being the center of attention, and being surrounded by the same faces week in and week out. As perennial top contenders, Stone and Gladstone may have crossed paths regularly at venues or in different cities on the campaign trail. This saw the 37-year-old scoop praise on Emma Stone, the performer and the human. 

Gladstone said, “She’s so smart, she’s so present. She’s got such a huge heart, you know. I think that’s what makes her such an incredible performer, is also what makes her such a remarkable human being. She’s just… she’s there with you, she’s accessible, she’s funny. Yeah, she’s just lovely.” 

The words remarkable human being were on display as Emma Stone applauded the hardest, from among the nominees, when Jessica Chastain read Lily Gladstone’s name as the SAG Best Actress.

Only one from Stone and Gladstone can win the Oscar. The SAG has had shared awards in the past and a tie in Los Angeles would be historic. The accolade aside, both women will head home knowing that they secured a treasured friend. 

Who do you think will win the Oscar 2024? Drop your pick in the comments below.