Emma Stone is never one to suffer from vanity or narcissism, as the 28-year old prepares herself for a stellar run off the back of La La Land. Battling a mixture of anxiety and self doubt that threatened to stop her career from taking off before it started, Stone sat down with THR to relive moments in her life that could have prevented her from being one of the biggest names in the business.
The hit musical alongside friend Ryan Gosling has put Stone at the elite level on the cusp of the 2017 Oscars. lining up against the likes of Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins, Natalie Portman for Jackie and Ruth Negga for Loving.
Yet it was never plain sailing for the girl that dropped out of school in ninth-grade to pursue her love of acting.
Lightbulb Moment Changed The Game For Stone
The 14-year old Stone was in class at Scottsdale, Arizona and, while the rest of the room was studying up on their history, she knew what would be destined for her. Going onto front pictures like Easy A, Zombieland, Super Bad and Gangster Squad, her instincts were right on the mark.
"I had this Howard Beale-like moment," started Stone, referencing the breakdown in Network by Peter Finch's character. "It's the last period of the day, and I have a revelation that I needed to move to Los Angeles as soon as possible because that's where I needed to go. I know, it was crazy."
While most parents would have reservations about packing up for their child to move to LA, Stone was fortunate that they backed her judgement. The story might be romantic for many, but the actress still urges others like her to see school out first.
"It's nuts that they agreed to it," admits Stone. "I don't condone it. Everybody should go through high school and graduate."
Scope of Hollywood Daunted The Actress
After getting a foothold with roles in big comedies, the entire dynamic of Los Angeles and the nature of the business overwhelmed a young Stone.
"I started to feel overwhelmed by the energy of Hollywood," explained the 28-year old. "I would go places, and all anybody could talk about was the entertainment industry. I just felt too surrounded by that... Losing my anonymity after Easy A, it was like being 7 years old all over again. It terrified me."
Kicking onto bigger and better things, Stone gives a surprising admission to say that even press interviews are a task in themselves, despite being on the circuit for La La Land for 6 months and counting.
"Before any interview, I have to sit with myself for five minutes and breathe and get centered because I get so nervous," she outlined. "Interviews are kind of like therapy, except all your answers are being written down and printed. I always want to be on the other side of it. I don't want to be deconstructed for millions. I'd rather do the deconstructing."
Source: THR
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