Stone began acting as a child as a member of the
Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, where she made her stage debut
in a production of Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows". She
appeared in many more productions through her early teens until, at the
age of 15, she decided that she wanted to make acting her career.
The
official story is that she made a PowerPoint presentation, backed by
Madonna's "Hollywood" and itself entitled "Project Hollywood", in an
attempt to persuade her parents to allow her to drop out of school and
move to Los Angeles. The pitch was successful and she and her mother
moved to LA with her schooling completed at home while she spent her
days auditioning.
She had her TV breakthrough when she won the
part of Laurie Partridge in the VH1 talent/reality show "In Search of
the Partridge Family" (2004) which led to a number of small TV roles in
the following years.
Her movie debut was as Jules in Superbad
(2007) and, after a string of successful performances, her leading role
as Olive in Easy A (2010) established her as a star
Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the daughter of Jeff Stone, a founder and CEO of a general-contracting company, and Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker.
[3] Her parents are co-owners of the Camelback Golf Club, and Stone lived on the grounds of the Camelback Inn resort from the age of twelve.
[4][5] She has a brother, Spencer, who is two years younger.
[6] Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island. Her other ancestry includes Pennsylvania Dutch (German), English, Scottish, and Irish.
[7][8]
Stone attended Sequoya Elementary School and then Cocopah Middle School for the sixth grade. She was home schooled for two years, during which time she appeared in sixteen productions at Valley Youth Theatre, including
The Princess and the Pea,
Alice in Wonderland, and
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
[9][10] and performed with the theater's improv comedy troupe.
[11][9] Her parents also sent her for private lessons with "a local acting coach who had worked at William Morris in the 1970s and still had Hollywood connections.
[12]
Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory,
[9] an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester. Despite this, she was raised as a Lutheran.
[13] She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song "Hollywood", to convince them to let her move to California for an acting career.
[14] She dropped out of high school, and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of fifteen.
[15] She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.
[16]
Career
2004–2011
Stone at the
Zombieland world premiere, 2009
Stone chose the name "Emma" when she registered for the Screen Actors Guild because there was already a listing for an "Emily Stone". Her family and friends call her Emily.
[17] She first chose Riley Stone as her professional name, but after a guest appearance on
Malcolm in the Middle, she decided she was more comfortable with Emma, a nickname her mother had given her.
[18] Stone's low-pitched husky voice is a result of having baby colic, a condition of frequent screaming as an infant, resulting in the development of nodules. She has calluses on her vocal cords as an adult.
[19]
Stone launched a career in television after winning the role of Laurie Partridge on
In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a VH1 talent competition reality show.
[20] The resulting show,
The New Partridge Family (2005), only produced a pilot episode. Stone next had appearances in the television series
Medium,
Malcolm in the Middle and
Lucky Louie. In April 2007, she starred in the Fox drama
Drive, playing Violet Trimble, however, the show was cancelled after seven episodes. She also auditioned for
Heroes, and overheard in the casting room "On a scale of 1 to 10, you are an 11" — the casting directors were referring to Hayden Panettiere, who was cast as Claire Bennet instead. Stone called this experience "rock bottom."
[21]
Stone made her feature film debut in the 2007 teen comedy
Superbad, as Jules, the love interest of Jonah Hill's lead character Seth. Stone is naturally blonde. She landed her first role as a teenager after dyeing her hair dark brown.
[22] Film producer Judd Apatow had her change from a brunette to a redhead for her role in
Superbad.
[11] She returned to blonde for her role in
The Amazing Spider-Man.
[17] In 2008, she appeared in the comedy
The Rocker, opposite Rainn Wilson. Stone played Amelia, the bass guitarist in a band featuring singer Teddy Geiger. Stone learned to play bass for the role. Also that year, Stone appeared in
The House Bunny, opposite Anna Faris, Katharine McPhee, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, and Colin Hanks.
[23] Stone played the president of a sorority and sang on a single from the film, "I Know What Boys Like", a cover version of the 1982 song by The Waitresses.
[24]
In 2009, Stone appeared in
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a romantic comedy directed by Mark Waters, the director of
Mean Girls, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.
[25] Stone played Allison Vandermeesh, "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past", a takeoff of the Ghost of Christmas Past from Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol. She starred in the horror/comedy
Zombieland, opposite Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. The project began shooting in Atlanta in February 2009.
[26] Stone played Wichita, a survivor/con artist from Wichita, Kansas, traveling across the U.S. with her younger sister Little Rock (played by Abigail Breslin). At the end of the film, she reveals that her real name is "Krista", which is the name of Stone's mother in real life.
[27]
Stone also co-starred in
Paper Man in 2009, opposite Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow, directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.
[28] She played Abby, a babysitter that Daniels' character hires after moving to Long Island.
[29] Stone began filming the independent comedy on November 11, 2008, in Montauk, New York, using well-known local locations.
[30]
In 2010, Stone had a voice role in
Marmaduke, a film adaptation of the long-running comic strip about a Great Dane.
[31] She voiced Marmaduke's friend, Mazie, a tomboyish Australian Shepherd.
[32] Stone was cast in her first leading role that year in
Easy A, a comedy directed by Will Gluck.
[33]
Stone plays Olive Penderghast, a high school student who scandalizes
her teachers and more conservative religious classmates after a false
rumor circulates that she is sexually promiscuous.
[34] The script contrasts the novel
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and its heroine, Hester Prynne,
to the life of Prynne in the film. Stone read the script before the
project was optioned for production, and kept an eye on it along with
her manager until preparations were made.
[35]
She was attracted to the script because it was "funny and sweet" and
her character was "fantastic from the first read" who was "fleshed [..]
out so much in the script".
[35] When she found out that the film had gone into production, she met with Gluck to express her enthusiasm about the project.
[35] A few months later, the audition process started and Stone met with Gluck again to be one of the first actresses to audition.
[35] Stone was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role.
[36]
Stone appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, and introduced Linkin Park. She stated in 2008 that she would eventually like to venture into film production, producing her own films, and that her dream was to appear on
Saturday Night Live.
[23] Stone hosted the late-night sketch comedy show on October 23, 2010, and again on November 12, 2011.
[37][38]
Stone appeared in the sex comedy,
Friends with Benefits, with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and directed by Will Gluck. It began filming in July 2010, in New York, and was released on July 22, 2011.
[39] She also co-starred in the Warner Bros. romantic comedy-drama
Crazy, Stupid, Love. that year, with Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon.
The film was about Carell's character which is a husband with marital
problems and difficulties with his children, it began shooting on April
16, 2010 in Los Angeles and was released on July 29, 2011.
[40] Stone starred in
The Help, an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, a period piece set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, which was released in August 2011. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer, and employed a Southern dialect for the role.
[29]
2012–present
Stone at the premiere of
Easy A in Germany, 2010
Stone starred as the female lead opposite Andrew Garfield in
The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, of the
Spider-Man film series.
[41] She played Gwen Stacy, the seventeen-year-old love interest of Garfield's character Peter Parker.
[42] Marc Webb directed the film, which was released on July 3, 2012.
[41] The film went into production in December 2010, lasting through April 2011.
[43] Stone was considered for the lead in a reboot of
21 Jump Street, opposite her
Superbad co-star Jonah Hill.
[44] She did not take the role however, after signing on to
The Amazing Spider-Man.
[45]
In DreamWorks Animation's 3D computer animated caveman comedy film
The Croods, she voiced Eep, the oldest daughter of Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) and Ugga (voiced by Catherine Keener). Ryan Reynolds voiced Gy, the love interest to Stone's character.
[46] The film was released on March 22, 2013. She starred in the comedic short film
Veronica, opposite Kieran Culkin.
[47] The short, directed by Griffin Dunne, is a comedy segment that is part of the anthology film,
Movie 43, featuring Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, Richard Gere, and others.
[48] The feature film was produced by the Farrelly brothers.
[22]
Stone co-starred in
Gangster Squad, a film by
Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. She worked with Ryan Gosling for the second time in the ensemble crime drama, which also starred Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, and Michael Peña. Stone played Grace Farraday, who is caught in a love triangle with Gosling's character, Sgt. Jerry Wooters and Penn's character, mobster Mickey Cohen.
[49] The film was released on January 11, 2013 in North America.
[50]
Stone will work with writer and director Will Gluck for the third time,
starring in and executive producing an untitled comedy for Screen Gems.
[51] The film studio has given Gluck and Stone full discretion in developing a new project, after the success of
Easy A.
[17]
As of January 2012, she has signed on to a script,
Little White Corvette, a comedy about a pair of would-be drug dealing siblings.
[52][53] The project began filming in Miami in mid-2012.
[54] In mid-2012, Stone voiced a supporting role in the crime-based video game,
Sleeping Dogs.
[55] She signed on to star in
Deep Tiki opposite Rachel McAdams, Bradley Cooper and Alec Baldwin and directed by Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe, for Sony Pictures.
[56] Stone will also reprise her role as Gwen Stacy in
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is scheduled for release on May 2, 2014.
[57] Stone will co-star in Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's ensemble comedy
Birdman, opposite Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts. The film began principal photography in New York in mid-April 2013.
[58] In 2013, Stone dropped out on Guillermo Del Toro's horror film
Crimson Peak and was replaced by Mia Wasikowska.
[59]
In May 2013 it was announced that Stone had joined the cast of Woody Allen's new comedy film opposite Colin Firth.
[60][61]
Personal life
Stone moved from Los Angeles to Greenwich Village, New York City in 2009.
[14]
Stone has previously dated musician Teddy Geiger and actor Kieran Culkin. She has been in a relationship with actor Andrew Garfield since mid-2011.
[62]
Filmography
Film
| Notes |
| 2007 |
Superbad |
Jules |
Young Hollywood Award for Exiciting New Face |
| 2008 |
The Rocker |
Amelia |
|
| 2008 |
The House Bunny |
Natalie |
|
| 2009 |
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past |
Allison Vandermeersh |
|
| 2009 |
Paper Man |
Abby |
|
| 2009 |
Zombieland |
Wichita/Krista |
Scream Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Ensemble
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Horror Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy |
| 2010 |
Marmaduke |
Mazie |
Voice only |
| 2010 |
Easy A |
Olive Penderghast |
MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Line from a Movie
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—The Comedy Award for Best Comedy Actress - Film
|
| 2011 |
Friends with Benefits |
Kayla |
|
| 2011 |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Hannah Weaver |
People's Choice Award for Favourite Movie Actress
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—The Comedy Award for Best Comedy Actress - Film
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock
|
| 2011 |
The Help |
Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan |
Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble
Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble Acting Award
Satellite Award for Best Cast - Motion Picture
Women Film Critics Circle for Best Ensemble
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble
People's Choice Award for Favourite Movie Actress
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Perforamce by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Drama
Nominated - Alliance of Women Film Journalists for Best Ensemble
Nominated - Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated - Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Ensemble
Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Cast
Nominated - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated - San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble
Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
|
| 2012 |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Gwen Stacy |
Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favourite Movie Actress
Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favourite On-Screen Chemistry (with Andrew Garfield)
Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favourite Face of Heroism
Nominated - Rembrandt Award for Best International Actress |
| 2013 |
Gangster Squad |
Grace Faraday |
|
| 2013 |
Movie 43 |
Veronica |
Segment: "Veronica" |
| 2013 |
The Croods |
Eep |
Voice only |
| 2014 |
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 |
Gwen Stacy |
Post-production[63] |
| 2014 |
Birdman |
TBA |
Filming [64] |
| 2014 |
Untitled Woody Allen project |
TBA |
Filming |
Television
| Notes |
| 2004 |
The New Partridge Family |
Laurie Partridge |
1 episode ("Pilot") |
| 2005 |
Medium |
Cynthia McCallister |
1 episode ("Sweet Dreams") |
| 2006 |
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody |
Ivana |
Voice only, 1 episode ("Crushed") |
| 2006 |
Malcolm in the Middle |
Diane |
1 episode ("Lois Strikes Back") |
| 2006 |
Lucky Louie |
Shannon |
1 episode ("Get Out") |
| 2007 |
Drive |
Violet Trimble |
7 episodes |
| 2010–2011 |
Saturday Night Live |
Host |
3 episodes |
| 2011 |
Robot Chicken |
Various voices |
2 episodes |
| 2012 |
30 Rock |
Herself |
1 episode ("The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell") |
| 2012 |
iCarly |
Heather |
1 episode ("iFind Spencer Friends") |
Video games
| Notes |
| 2012 |
Sleeping Dogs |
Amanda Cartwright |
Voice only |
Awards
List of awards and nominations
| 2008 |
Young Hollywood Awards Exciting New Face[65] |
Superbad |
Won |
| 2009 |
Detroit Film Critics Society Best Ensemble |
Zombieland |
Nominated |
| 2010 |
Scream Awards Best Ensemble |
Zombieland |
Won |
| 2010 |
Scream Awards Best Horror Actress |
Zombieland |
Nominated |
| 2010 |
Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress: Comedy |
Zombieland |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
BAFTA Rising Star Award |
|
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble[66] |
The Help |
Won |
| 2011 |
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
Easy A |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble Acting Award[67] |
The Help |
Won |
| 2011 |
MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |
Easy A |
Won |
| 2011 |
MTV Movie Award Best Line from a Movie |
Easy A |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance |
Easy A |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
NewNowNext Awards Brink of Fame |
|
Nominated |
| 2011 |
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture |
The Help |
Won |
| 2011 |
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
The Help |
Won |
| 2011 |
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy |
Easy A |
Won |
| 2011 |
The Comedy Award for Best Comedy Actress – Film[68] |
Easy A |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
The Comedy Awards Breakthrough Performer[citation needed] |
|
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2011 |
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble[69] |
The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Ensemble[70] |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast |
The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble[71] |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
MTV Movie Award for Best Cast |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
MTV Movie Award for Trailblazer |
|
Won |
| 2012 |
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture |
The Help |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble |
The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
People's Choice Award Favorite Movie Actress |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. & The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
The Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Actress – Film[72] |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
Teen Choice Award for Choice Female Movie Star of the Summer |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Nominated |
| 2012 |
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Won |
| 2012 |
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Drama |
The Help |
Won |
| 2012 |
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock |
Crazy, Stupid, Love. |
Nominated |
| 2013 |
People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Nominated |
| 2013 |
People's Choice Award for Favorite Face of Heroism |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Nominated |
| 2013 |
People's Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (with Andrew Garfield) |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Nominated |
