WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're taking 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.919 a look at an artist who has just, I mean, consistently 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:09.000 managed to reinvent herself, moving from, you 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:11.539 know, the queen of team comedy to one of the 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:14.919 most acclaimed and frankly daring artists working 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:17.239 today. We are talking about Emily Jean Stone. 00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:19.760 Better known to the world, of course, as Emma 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:21.820 Stone. And we're going to get into that name 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:24.260 change. Oh, absolutely. But what's so compelling 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:26.600 when you dig into the research is how her biggest, 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:28.940 well... what you might call weaknesses, actually 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:31.339 became her greatest strengths. It's an incredible 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:35.079 story. It starts with this almost debilitating 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:38.140 childhood anxiety. Crippling anxiety. And it 00:00:38.140 --> 00:00:40.439 transforms into a career that nets her not one, 00:00:40.539 --> 00:00:44.039 but two Academy Awards for Best Actress. For 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:47.640 La La Land and then... Poor things. And that's 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:49.560 not even counting the BAFTAs or the fact that 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.079 in 2017 she was the highest paid actress in the 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:54.500 entire world. That's the real story here. It's 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:56.939 not just critical acclaim. It's commercial power. 00:00:57.119 --> 00:00:59.700 It's influence. I mean, Time magazine named her 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:02.159 one of their 100 most influential people. So 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.500 our mission today really is to trace the four 00:01:04.500 --> 00:01:07.359 major acts of her career. We want to zero in 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:09.299 on those personal challenges she had to overcome 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:12.739 and the. The really calculated risks she took. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:15.219 Especially the recent moves. The shift toward 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:18.640 these big auteur collaborations and maybe most 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:21.560 importantly, her new identity as a hands -on 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:23.719 producer. Because it's not luck, is it? It's 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.659 a strategy. Not at all. It's strategy. And I 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:28.700 think it's driven by a deep need for control. 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:31.620 This is the story of how she deliberately broke 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:35.079 out of that star ingenue box and built this incredible 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:37.400 career, you know, without any classical training. 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.739 It was all... instinct and a willingness to pick 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:42.760 the harder path. It's a fascinating blueprint 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:44.959 for how to survive and thrive as an A -lister 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:47.739 today. Okay, so let's set the stage because this 00:01:47.739 --> 00:01:49.540 story doesn't start in Hollywood. It starts in 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:52.239 Scottsdale, Arizona. Right. Emily Jean Stone, 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:56.120 born November 6, 1988. And her family, they were 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:57.900 completely outside of the entertainment industry. 00:01:58.019 --> 00:01:59.700 Her father, Jeffrey Charles Stone, he was the 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:02.400 CEO of a general contracting company. Exactly. 00:02:02.700 --> 00:02:05.799 And her mother, Krista, was a homemaker. She 00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:08.099 also has a younger brother, Spencer, a very, 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:10.379 you know, normal suburban upbringing on the surface. 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:12.539 And there's an interesting detail about her ancestry, 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:14.919 even about the name itself. Yeah, it's a small 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.300 thing, but it's part of that classic Hollywood 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:20.479 story of reinvention. Her family has German, 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.759 English, Irish, Scottish, and Swedish roots. 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:27.960 And that surname, Stone, was actually anglicized. 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:31.400 From what? From the original Swedish, Sten. S 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:35.750 -T -E -N. So even the name is a kind of performance, 00:02:35.830 --> 00:02:38.009 a professional adaptation, which is a theme that 00:02:38.009 --> 00:02:40.289 comes up again and again. And speaking of defining 00:02:40.289 --> 00:02:42.710 features, we have to talk about her voice. It's 00:02:42.710 --> 00:02:44.430 one of the first things you notice, that husky 00:02:44.430 --> 00:02:46.569 sort of low register voice. It's her trademark. 00:02:46.669 --> 00:02:48.550 And the story behind it is pretty surprising. 00:02:48.650 --> 00:02:50.090 It's not genetic or something she developed. 00:02:50.169 --> 00:02:52.289 It actually comes from infancy. Really? How? 00:02:52.490 --> 00:02:54.650 The sources say she suffered from baby colic, 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:57.030 which meant she was crying constantly and very 00:02:57.030 --> 00:03:00.219 intensely. All that strain on her vocal cords 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:03.340 as a baby caused her to develop nodules and calluses. 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:06.800 So a physical result of distress in her infancy 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:10.500 gave her this voice that became a huge professional 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:13.340 asset. Exactly. It has that perfect quality for 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:15.740 both, you know, sharp -witted comedy and real 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:18.180 dramatic weight. But the real core of her origin 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.259 story, the thing that seems to drive everything 00:03:20.259 --> 00:03:23.139 else, is this battle with anxiety. A profound, 00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:26.860 paralyzing anxiety. She said herself that she 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.719 was loud and bothy as a child, which often is 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.300 just a way to mask a deep sense of insecurity. 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:36.080 And it wasn't just, you know, normal childhood 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:38.539 worries. This was something else. It was debilitating. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:40.939 It started around age seven with severe panic 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:44.280 attacks. And she's been very open about how it 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:46.240 just destroyed her social skills. There's one 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:47.960 specific story she tells about her first ever 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:50.599 panic attack, right? Yes. And it's so revealing. 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:53.919 She was at a friend's house and she became utterly 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.560 convinced with every fiber of her being that 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:58.759 the house was on fire. Just a total break from 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:00.939 reality. A total break. She thought they were 00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:03.080 all going to die. And it wasn't a one -off thing. 00:04:03.340 --> 00:04:05.120 She said for the next three years, she lived 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.240 in this constant state of terror, this fear of 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:09.780 chaos and the unknown. That sounds absolutely 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.479 unbearable for a child. How did she even function 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:15.159 day to day? It was incredibly difficult. She 00:04:15.159 --> 00:04:17.100 needed constant reassurance from her mother. 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:19.939 She described having to ask her mom to tell her 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:22.379 what the plan for the day was over and over again, 00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:25.100 just to confirm that no one was going to die 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:27.019 and nothing was going to change. That need for 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:30.139 structure, for a predictable narrative. And that 00:04:30.139 --> 00:04:32.639 is the key. That's the pivot point. Because that 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.639 deep -seated need for structure is what led her 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:39.660 to theater. So acting became a kind of self -prescribed 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:42.079 medicine. The perfect medicine. Think about it. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.759 The real world is unpredictable. It's chaotic. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:49.019 But a play. A play has a script. It has a beginning, 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:51.920 a middle, an end. The lines are all written down 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.519 for you. The anxiety is channeled into performance, 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.379 which is a controllable form of anxiety. Precisely. 00:04:57.790 --> 00:04:59.589 She was even homeschooled for two years during 00:04:59.589 --> 00:05:01.990 this period because her anxiety was so bad, and 00:05:01.990 --> 00:05:03.850 she just threw herself into local theater. And 00:05:03.850 --> 00:05:05.709 she wasn't just dabbling in it. She was serious. 00:05:07.110 --> 00:05:09.850 Very serious. By the time she dropped out of 00:05:09.850 --> 00:05:12.569 Xavier College Preparatory, after just one semester, 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:15.850 she had already been in 16 productions at the 00:05:15.850 --> 00:05:19.089 Valley Youth Theater in Phoenix. Wow. Her debut 00:05:19.089 --> 00:05:21.509 was at age 11, playing Otter in the Wind in the 00:05:21.509 --> 00:05:24.810 Willows. And crucially, she was also performing 00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:27.259 with an improv comedy troupe. Which is interesting 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:29.500 because improv is the opposite of a script. It's 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:31.959 all about reacting in the moment. Right. But 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:34.839 it's structured chaos. It gave her the adaptability 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:37.420 and the quick comedic timing that would become 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:39.860 so important later. So she had both the structure 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:42.339 of theater and the spontaneity of improv. And 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:44.480 this all culminates in one of the most audacious, 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:47.959 almost legendary Hollywood origin stories ever. 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:50.660 A pitch. The legendary Project Hollywood. She's 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:53.480 15 years old. 15. And she decides that Phoenix 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:55.060 is not going to cut it. She has to get to Los 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:58.100 Angeles. How do you convince your parents, one 00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:00.720 of whom is a CEO, to let you drop out of school 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:03.180 and chase this dream? You don't frame it as a 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:05.839 dream. You frame it as a business plan. She created 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:08.779 a full -on PowerPoint presentation. I love this 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:11.240 detail. It wasn't just begging. It was a corporate 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.980 pitch. A detailed strategic proposal. And get 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:17.699 this. The sources say she had it soundtracked 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:20.420 to Madonna's song, Hollywood. Of course she did. 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:23.899 That is brilliant. It shows that same need for 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:26.240 control and structure. But now she's applying 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.980 it to her own destiny. And it worked. She and 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:32.420 her mother moved to L .A. in January 2004. But, 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:34.759 you know, the reality of the industry hit pretty 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:36.699 hard. It wasn't an overnight success. No, it 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:39.579 was a real grind. Years of auditions. She auditioned 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:41.899 for everything. Every Disney Channel show, every 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:45.300 sitcom. She said, I ended up getting none. So 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:47.519 while she was going to online high school, she 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:50.060 had to work. At the Dog Treat Bakery. The Dog 00:06:50.060 --> 00:06:52.680 Treat Bakery. A humbling reminder of the early 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:54.639 hustle. And this is also when she had to make 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:57.000 that final change to her professional identity, 00:06:57.339 --> 00:06:59.680 the name. Right. When she went to register with 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.740 the Screen Actors Guild at 16, Emily Stone was 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:05.100 already taken. A common problem for actors. So 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:07.199 she tried Riley Stone for a bit, but she said 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:08.860 she couldn't answer to it. It just didn't feel 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:11.240 right. So she eventually landed on Emma. As an 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:13.879 homage to Emma Bunton from the Spice Girls. Baby 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:17.040 Spice. A little pop culture nod for a very practical 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:19.240 reason. But there's a really interesting full 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.430 circle moment with her name. That's happened 00:07:21.430 --> 00:07:25.290 recently. There is. In 2024, she revealed that 00:07:25.290 --> 00:07:27.990 while Emma Stone is her professional name, she 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:30.250 really prefers that people who work with her, 00:07:30.269 --> 00:07:34.490 her friends, call her Emily. So now at the absolute 00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:36.949 peak of her power as an artist and a producer, 00:07:37.230 --> 00:07:39.269 she's reclaiming her given name. It's like the 00:07:39.269 --> 00:07:42.470 public persona, Emma, did its job. And now the 00:07:42.470 --> 00:07:45.449 private self, Emily. is the one in control so 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:47.990 that period of grinding it out from about 2004 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:52.529 to 2007 was all about these small tv parts she 00:07:52.529 --> 00:07:54.829 was in that reality show insert to the new partridge 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:56.870 family i remember that and guest spots on shows 00:07:56.870 --> 00:07:59.350 like medium and lucky louie but the moment that 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:02.350 really defined the end of that phase was a huge 00:08:02.350 --> 00:08:04.889 rejection her rock bottom moment as she called 00:08:04.889 --> 00:08:06.970 it not getting the part of claire bennett in 00:08:06.970 --> 00:08:09.610 heroes exactly a massive hit show at the time 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:12.420 she said she left that audition just completely 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:15.839 devastated. But, as it so often happens, that 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:18.439 rejection was the catalyst for her big break. 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:20.759 Later that same year, she gets her first movie. 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.759 She gets Superbad. And it's an absolute launch 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:26.439 pad. I mean, Superbad was more than a hit. It 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:28.860 was a cultural moment. It defined that whole 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.679 wave of R -rated comedies. Huge success. Grossed 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:36.600 almost $170 million. and it immediately put her 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:38.480 on the map. It's also where the red hair comes 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:40.840 from. She's a natural blonde, but she had to 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:43.379 dye it red for the part. And that look just stuck. 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:46.899 For years, that was her image, the witty, sarcastic, 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.340 red -headed girl next door. For a while, yeah. 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:51.299 And she followed it up with a couple of other 00:08:51.299 --> 00:08:54.200 comedies to really cement that persona. She was 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:56.320 in The Rocker in 2008. Well, she had to learn 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.340 to play bass guitar. Yeah, an early sign of her 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:01.899 willingness to really... put in the technical 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:03.879 work for a role. And then she was in The House 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:05.860 Bunny that same year. Another one where she got 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:08.059 to show off her musical side. She did that cover 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:11.059 of I Know What Boys Like. She did. Yeah. And 00:09:11.059 --> 00:09:13.299 even in those early, maybe not so great films, 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:15.759 critics were starting to single her out. They 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.080 were already saying she was well on her way to 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.759 becoming a star. Which set the stage perfectly 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:24.759 for her real breakout moment in 2010. The film 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:27.159 that proved she could carry a movie all by herself. 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:31.220 Easy A. Her first true leading role. And this 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:33.480 is a part she really fought for. Oh yeah, she 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:35.659 actively chased that script. She said it was 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:38.039 so different and unique from anything I'd read 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.340 before. Yeah. And the movie was just a critical 00:09:41.340 --> 00:09:44.340 darling. The reviews were phenomenal and they 00:09:44.340 --> 00:09:46.500 were all about her. They called her the film's 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:49.230 prime asset. They talked about her terrific performance, 00:09:49.470 --> 00:09:52.190 her knowing drawl. She managed to take all that 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:54.870 improv skill and comedic timing and blend it 00:09:54.870 --> 00:09:57.549 with this really genuine vulnerability. And that's 00:09:57.549 --> 00:09:59.990 what got her the big awards nominations. Yeah. 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:02.970 BAFTA Rising Star, Golden Globe for Best Actress. 00:10:03.090 --> 00:10:05.149 And this is where that strategic mind, that need 00:10:05.149 --> 00:10:08.029 for control. Kicks in again because after Easy 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:11.230 A, the biggest danger was being typecast. She 00:10:11.230 --> 00:10:13.070 could have just been the sarcastic interest of 00:10:13.070 --> 00:10:15.250 the guy forever. Exactly. The witty sidekick. 00:10:15.309 --> 00:10:17.789 So she makes this huge calculated pivot. She 00:10:17.789 --> 00:10:20.169 deliberately goes after a serious dramatic role 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.309 in a period piece. She goes for the help. It 00:10:22.309 --> 00:10:25.129 was a massive swing from a modern high school 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:28.230 comedy to a story set during the civil rights 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.509 movement. She had to completely shed that modern 00:10:31.509 --> 00:10:33.710 persona. And she did some serious preparation 00:10:33.710 --> 00:10:36.929 for it. A ton. Yeah. It wasn't just about learning 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:39.370 a southern accent. She did deep research into 00:10:39.370 --> 00:10:41.409 the civil rights movement, reading books, watching 00:10:41.409 --> 00:10:45.710 films. She really invested in earning the credibility 00:10:45.710 --> 00:10:48.389 for that role. And it paid off in a huge way, 00:10:48.529 --> 00:10:51.210 critically but also commercially. Immensely. 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:54.649 The film made over $200 million. That kind of 00:10:54.649 --> 00:10:57.389 box office success gives you power in Hollywood. 00:10:57.610 --> 00:11:00.149 It proved she could deliver in a drama. And at 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:02.710 the same time, she's securing her blockbuster 00:11:02.710 --> 00:11:05.250 status. She dives into the superhero world with 00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:07.190 the amazing Spider -Man. Right, playing Gwen 00:11:07.190 --> 00:11:09.169 Stacy. Another different kind of challenge. She 00:11:09.169 --> 00:11:10.909 went back to her natural blonde hair for that 00:11:10.909 --> 00:11:13.330 and really had to school herself on the comics. 00:11:13.549 --> 00:11:15.629 I think her take on the character is really important 00:11:15.629 --> 00:11:17.870 here. She was very clear that Gwen wasn't just 00:11:17.870 --> 00:11:21.409 a damsel in distress. Absolutely. She... famously 00:11:21.409 --> 00:11:23.950 said, she saves him more than he saves her. He's 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:26.190 the muscle, she's the brains. She was always 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:28.830 looking for roles with agency for characters 00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:31.110 who were intellectual equals. And critics really 00:11:31.110 --> 00:11:33.320 responded to that. One of them called her the 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:36.620 Heath Ledger of this series. High praise. It 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:38.620 showed she could bring real dramatic weight even 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:41.299 to a massive franchise film. And that movie, 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:44.840 making over $750 million worldwide, didn't hurt 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:46.860 either. And throughout all this, she's still 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:48.659 keeping a foot in the comedy world, especially 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.240 with Saturday Night Live. Yeah, she hosted SNL 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:53.759 multiple times. It was the perfect venue for 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.980 her improv skills. She called her first time 00:11:55.980 --> 00:11:58.330 hosting the greatest week of my life. It shows 00:11:58.330 --> 00:12:01.470 that that live high wire performance energy still 00:12:01.470 --> 00:12:03.970 really appealed to her. It did. And it all adds 00:12:03.970 --> 00:12:06.909 up to this picture of an actress who by 2013 00:12:06.909 --> 00:12:10.230 was incredibly versatile, completely bankable 00:12:10.230 --> 00:12:12.610 and still genuinely funny. She had all the pieces 00:12:12.610 --> 00:12:15.450 in place. So by 2014, Emma Stone is a bona fide 00:12:15.450 --> 00:12:18.070 star. But this next phase is where she really 00:12:18.070 --> 00:12:21.230 enters that, you know, prestige acting category. 00:12:21.309 --> 00:12:23.870 And it starts with Birdman. Birdman was a game 00:12:23.870 --> 00:12:28.370 changer. An audacious, surrealist film from Alejandro 00:12:28.370 --> 00:12:31.110 Gonzalez -Señoritu that goes on to win Best Picture. 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:33.289 And the whole thing is filmed to look like one 00:12:33.289 --> 00:12:35.909 continuous shot. That must have been an incredible 00:12:35.909 --> 00:12:38.090 technical challenge for the actors. Immense. 00:12:38.110 --> 00:12:41.330 It was basically like doing a play. Long, unbroken 00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:44.289 takes. And she's playing Sam, the recovering 00:12:44.289 --> 00:12:46.129 addict daughter of Michael Keaton's character. 00:12:46.409 --> 00:12:50.230 It's a really raw, intense role. And it got her 00:12:50.230 --> 00:12:53.210 her first Oscar nomination, Best Supporting Actress. 00:12:53.330 --> 00:12:55.830 Deservedly so. There's this one monologue she 00:12:55.830 --> 00:12:58.070 has where she just tears into her father, and 00:12:58.070 --> 00:13:00.210 a critic described it as being delivered like 00:13:00.210 --> 00:13:04.240 a knitting needle to the gut. Wow. That's a powerful 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.159 description. It really captures the ferocity 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:08.559 of that performance. So she has this huge critical 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:10.720 success with Birdman, and then she decides to 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:12.759 take on a massive personal challenge, something 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:15.120 that goes right at her lifelong anxiety. She 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:17.779 goes back to the stage. For real this time. On 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:20.059 Broadway. Starring as Sally Bowles in The Revival 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:22.509 of Cabaret. That's a terrifying prospect for 00:13:22.509 --> 00:13:24.690 any actor, let alone someone who has struggled 00:13:24.690 --> 00:13:28.429 with panic attacks. Live audience, singing, dancing, 00:13:28.529 --> 00:13:31.610 every single night. She said it was the most 00:13:31.610 --> 00:13:34.610 nerve -wracking thing ever. And she had this 00:13:34.610 --> 00:13:38.009 interesting coping mechanism. To prepare for 00:13:38.009 --> 00:13:41.049 the intensity, she would listen to a French radio 00:13:41.049 --> 00:13:44.250 station backstage. Just to sort of anchor herself 00:13:44.250 --> 00:13:46.690 in something else before going out there? I think 00:13:46.690 --> 00:13:49.750 so. A way to get out of her own head. And while 00:13:49.750 --> 00:13:52.470 her singing got mixed reviews, her acting was 00:13:52.470 --> 00:13:55.710 universally praised. Critics said she was a perfect 00:13:55.710 --> 00:13:58.110 fit for the role's intensity. It just shows that 00:13:58.110 --> 00:14:00.070 willingness to embrace the things that scare 00:14:00.070 --> 00:14:02.710 her. But this period also had a pretty significant 00:14:02.710 --> 00:14:05.169 stumble, didn't it? The Aloha controversy. It 00:14:05.169 --> 00:14:06.990 did, and it was a crucial learning moment for 00:14:06.990 --> 00:14:09.610 her. In that Cameron Crowe film, she was cast 00:14:09.610 --> 00:14:11.870 as a character named Allison Nang, who was meant 00:14:11.870 --> 00:14:13.950 to be of Asian, Hawaiian, and Swedish descent. 00:14:14.110 --> 00:14:17.259 And she is. None of those things. Right. And 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:19.720 it sparked a huge and very necessary conversation 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:22.279 about whitewashing in Hollywood. The backlash 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:24.700 was immediate and intense. But what's important 00:14:24.700 --> 00:14:27.639 is how she responded to it. That's the key. She 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:29.879 didn't hide. She later came out and expressed 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:32.820 real regret for taking the role. She publicly 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:35.139 said that whitewashing is a major problem in 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:37.159 the industry and that she had learned a valuable 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:40.419 lesson. That willingness to own it and self -correct 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:43.120 is pretty rare. It is. And it showed a level 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.759 of maturity and awareness that was really important 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:49.940 for her public image. And then, in 2016, everything 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:53.200 just explodes. La La Land. The film that cements 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.779 her as a Hollywood legend. Her third movie with 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:58.740 Ryan Gosling. A massive cultural phenomenon, 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:00.960 and it just completely steamrolled the awards 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:03.759 season. It's another role that feels deeply personal 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.700 for her, playing Mia, this struggling actress 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:08.799 in L .A. going on all these horrible auditions. 00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:11.200 Absolutely. And the director, Damien Chazelle, 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:12.960 actually saw her when she was doing Cabaret on 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:14.899 Broadway. Yeah. He knew he needed someone who 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:16.840 could handle the demands of a musical but still 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.389 feel grounded and modern. Her preparation for 00:15:19.389 --> 00:15:21.809 it was intense, too, watching all those old Fred 00:15:21.809 --> 00:15:24.429 Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. She really 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:27.169 committed. And she's on six of the songs on the 00:15:27.169 --> 00:15:30.450 soundtrack. That big emotional ballad, Audition, 00:15:30.450 --> 00:15:32.870 The Fools Who Dream, that was the centerpiece 00:15:32.870 --> 00:15:35.350 of her Oscar campaign. And it worked. The awards 00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:39.009 just poured in. Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG Award, 00:15:39.210 --> 00:15:41.409 and, of course, the big one, her first Academy 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:45.090 Award for Best Actress. One critic put it perfectly. 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:48.549 They said, Stone has never been better. Superbly 00:15:48.549 --> 00:15:52.629 smart, witty, vulnerable, her huge doe eyes radiating 00:15:52.629 --> 00:15:54.830 intelligence even when they are filling with 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:57.929 tears. So she reaches the absolute summit of 00:15:57.929 --> 00:16:00.309 Hollywood success. And what does she do next? 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:02.340 She immediately pivots to something completely 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:05.220 different. She uses that Oscar capital to play 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:08.019 tennis legend Billie Jean King in Battle of the 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:10.759 Sexes. Which required a major physical transformation. 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.440 A huge one. She had to look like a world -class 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:16.659 athlete. So she put on 15 pounds of muscle, working 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:18.480 with a trainer, drinking these high -calorie 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:20.580 protein shakes. It's another one of those roles 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:23.059 that's completely against type. She's not playing 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:26.059 the witty ingenue anymore. It's not at all. She's 00:16:26.059 --> 00:16:28.720 playing this determined, complex, real -life 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.940 icon. And critics saw it as one of the best performances 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:34.519 of her career, precisely because it showed her 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:36.639 range and her capacity for that kind of deep 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:39.159 transformation. It proved her talent was about 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:42.580 skill, not just star power. OK, so that brings 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:45.200 us to the most recent and I think maybe the most 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:47.700 interesting phase of her career. This is where 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:50.840 she transforms from a bankable star into a true 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:53.740 artistic force. And that transformation is defined 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:58.399 by one key. The Yorgos Lanthimos era. Exactly. 00:16:58.419 --> 00:17:01.500 She makes this deliberate choice to align herself 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:04.279 with this Greek auteur director whose films are, 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:07.500 let's be honest, weird. They're dark. They're 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:09.640 absurd. They're not your typical Hollywood fare. 00:17:10.009 --> 00:17:11.950 Their first collaboration was The Favorite in 00:17:11.950 --> 00:17:14.529 2018, a period piece, but a very strange one. 00:17:14.670 --> 00:17:17.269 A very strange one. And she's the only American 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:19.789 in the lead trio playing opposite Olivia Colman 00:17:19.789 --> 00:17:22.710 and Rachel Weisz, two British titans. So she 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:24.710 had the technical challenge of mastering that 00:17:24.710 --> 00:17:26.710 specific accent and just holding her own against 00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:29.519 them. Which she did. Brilliantly. It earned her 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.299 another Oscar nomination, her third. It was a 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:35.259 signal to the industry that she was now prioritizing 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:38.200 challenging, interesting material over anything 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:40.880 else. And that partnership just gets deeper and 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.599 more ambitious, culminating in the film that 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:47.539 wins her second Oscar. Poor things. And this 00:17:47.539 --> 00:17:49.900 time, she's not just the star, she's a producer. 00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:52.539 She has a real stake in getting this bizarre, 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.440 wonderful film made. And the role of Bella Baxter, 00:17:55.579 --> 00:17:57.880 I mean, it's one of the most physically and emotionally 00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.980 demanding roles I can imagine. It's a huge swing. 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.759 She's playing a woman who is brought back to 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:06.740 life and has to relearn how to exist, but without 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:08.640 any of the shame or social conditioning that 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.880 we all have. For someone who fought anxiety her 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:12.900 whole life, she said playing a character with 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:15.559 zero anxiety was extremely freeing. The performance 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.440 was just universally described as fearless. Fearless 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.839 is the word. The physical comedy, the journey 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:23.200 from this toddler -like state to a brilliant 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.640 intellectual, and of course the extensive nudity 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:27.680 and sex scenes, which were handled in this very 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:30.799 philosophical, non -exploitative way. The awards 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:34.759 just followed. The Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:37.440 her second Oscar for Best Actress. But you mentioned 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:39.079 the producer credit. That feels like the most 00:18:39.079 --> 00:18:41.450 important. piece of this it's the whole story 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:44.130 she also got an oscar nomination for best picture 00:18:44.130 --> 00:18:46.910 as a producer she's not just an actress for hire 00:18:46.910 --> 00:18:49.970 anymore she's a creator she's helping to steer 00:18:49.970 --> 00:18:52.730 the ship to protect the director's vision and 00:18:52.730 --> 00:18:54.990 this collaboration with lanthimos just keeps 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:57.670 going it's clearly a very fruitful partnership 00:18:57.670 --> 00:19:00.089 incredibly they did a short film called bleat 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:03.240 Then the anthology film Kinds of Kindness, where 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:05.339 she plays three different characters. And their 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:07.500 next film is called Bugonia. And there's a great 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:09.940 story about her commitment to that project, right? 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:12.339 Yeah, it shows her dedication. She had to shave 00:19:12.339 --> 00:19:14.720 her head completely for the role. But to keep 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:16.559 it a secret and not let it leak to the press, 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:19.839 she wore wigs in public for months. All just 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:21.779 to protect the integrity of the project. That's 00:19:21.779 --> 00:19:23.960 the dedication of an auteur's collaborator, not 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:26.119 just a movie star. And at the same time, she's 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.220 also making these really smart moves into prestige 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:32.519 television. Right. She starred in and executive 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:34.720 produced the Netflix series Maniac with Jonah 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.960 Hill, and more recently, the Showtime series 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:40.599 The Curse. Another really strange satirical show. 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:44.359 These are not mainstream roles. They are challenging, 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.740 dark comedies that allow her to explore these 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:50.680 complex characters that wouldn't really fit in 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:53.099 a two -hour movie. And all of this artistic freedom 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:56.500 is really powered by one thing, her own production 00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:59.640 company. Fruit Tree. She founded it in 2020 with 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:01.940 her husband, Dave McCary. This is the ultimate 00:20:01.940 --> 00:20:04.740 expression of that Project Hollywood mindset, 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.900 isn't it? Total control. It's the endgame. She 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:09.220 doesn't have to wait for good scripts anymore. 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:11.200 She can go out and find them, develop them, and 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:13.380 get them made. And they immediately partnered 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:16.500 with A24. The indie powerhouse, which tells you 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:18.240 exactly what kind of films they want to make. 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:20.980 It does. They're backing unique directors, like 00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:23.440 Jesse Eisenberg. They produced his films When 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.640 You Finish Saving the World and A Real Pain. 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:29.380 They backed the surreal comedy Problemista, even 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:31.839 a horror film I saw the TV glow. So it's all 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:34.799 about nurturing fresh, unconventional voices. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.700 Which is a direct reflection of her own artistic 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:40.559 journey. And while all of this is happening professionally, 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:43.579 she's also building a family. She married Dave 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:46.319 McCaffrey in 2020. They had a daughter in 2021. 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:49.720 And they made a pretty significant move geographically. 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:51.799 They did. They sold their homes in L .A. and 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:54.599 Malibu and now live primarily in Austin, Texas. 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:56.799 Moving out of the Hollywood spotlight. Another 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:59.660 act of controlling her environment and her privacy. 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:02.359 Precisely. The same way she curates her artistic 00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:05.240 projects, she's curating her personal life to 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:07.400 protect it from the chaos of fame. So when you 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:10.220 put it all together, this journey from anxious 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:13.539 teenager in Arizona to Oscar -winning producer 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:16.759 in Texas, what does her public persona look like 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:18.579 today? Well, she still holds this incredible 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:21.349 influence in multiple arenas. Stylistically, 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:24.710 she's a global fashion icon. Vogue loves her. 00:21:24.769 --> 00:21:26.890 They always talk about her old Hollywood glamour. 00:21:26.910 --> 00:21:29.210 It's a very polished classic look, which is an 00:21:29.210 --> 00:21:31.630 interesting contrast to the weird avant -garde 00:21:31.630 --> 00:21:35.069 role she's taking. It is. And financially, she 00:21:35.069 --> 00:21:37.650 still has that power. We have to remember that 00:21:37.650 --> 00:21:41.170 in 2017, Forbes named her the highest paid actress 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:44.309 in the world with earnings of $26 million that 00:21:44.309 --> 00:21:46.660 year. And that commercial success is what buys 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:49.019 you the artistic freedom to do something like 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:51.539 poor things. It's the capital that allows you 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:54.559 to take those risks. But her influence now goes 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:57.619 way beyond style and money. It's become philosophical, 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:00.430 even political. Starting with her own personal 00:22:00.430 --> 00:22:03.190 spiritual journey. Right. She was raised Lutheran, 00:22:03.190 --> 00:22:05.490 but she's talked about how organized religion 00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:07.950 just filled her with guilt, especially around 00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:10.710 sexuality and what it means to be a woman. And 00:22:10.710 --> 00:22:12.849 she found a different path to deal with that. 00:22:13.029 --> 00:22:16.210 She found Jungian therapy. And she says that's 00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:18.049 what really helped her unpack all of that and 00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:20.569 accept that being complex and complicated and 00:22:20.569 --> 00:22:23.470 female was okay. You can draw a straight line 00:22:23.470 --> 00:22:25.710 from that realization to a character like Bella 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:29.039 Baxter. A completely straight line. And she still 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:31.240 questions those big narratives. There's a quote 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:33.500 from 2025 where she's talking about the traditional 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:37.339 idea of God. And she says, I can't imagine he 00:22:37.339 --> 00:22:39.680 wouldn't be loving and generous. That's what 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:42.079 bothers me. That's the story we've been told 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.789 for so long. Always questioning the established 00:22:44.789 --> 00:22:47.329 script. Always. And you see that in her public 00:22:47.329 --> 00:22:50.369 advocacy work, too. She's been a huge supporter 00:22:50.369 --> 00:22:53.130 of cancer awareness, working with Revlon and 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:55.309 Stand Up to Cancer for years. And she's been 00:22:55.309 --> 00:22:58.309 a very vocal advocate for women's rights. A very 00:22:58.309 --> 00:23:00.410 consistent one. She was one of the co -founders 00:23:00.410 --> 00:23:02.869 of the Time's Up initiative back in 2018 to fight 00:23:02.869 --> 00:23:05.269 sexual harassment in the industry. And she's 00:23:05.269 --> 00:23:07.109 a visible supporter of Planned Parenthood. And 00:23:07.109 --> 00:23:09.049 then most recently, she's taken a public stance 00:23:09.049 --> 00:23:11.890 on a very sensitive international issue. And 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:13.849 we should be clear. We're simply reporting what 00:23:13.849 --> 00:23:17.569 the sources say here. Absolutely. In 2025, she 00:23:17.569 --> 00:23:19.789 reportedly signed the Film Workers for Palestine 00:23:19.789 --> 00:23:22.309 letter. And what did that letter entail? Well, 00:23:22.369 --> 00:23:24.230 the letter pledged that it signifies would not 00:23:24.230 --> 00:23:27.329 work with Israeli film institutions that, and 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:28.930 this is quoting from the letter's text, were 00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:31.910 implicated in genocide and apartheid against 00:23:31.910 --> 00:23:35.349 Palestinians. So a very direct and highly politicized 00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:37.869 public statement. It is. And it confirms that 00:23:37.869 --> 00:23:40.230 she sees her platform as something that extends 00:23:40.230 --> 00:23:43.529 beyond just her. artistic work into the realm 00:23:43.529 --> 00:23:46.690 of global politics. So when you synthesize all 00:23:46.690 --> 00:23:49.210 of that, the career choices, the producing, the 00:23:49.210 --> 00:23:52.950 activism, what's the final critical take on Emma 00:23:52.950 --> 00:23:56.130 Stone? The consensus is that she is just uniquely 00:23:56.130 --> 00:23:58.779 adaptable. She built this brilliant career without 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:01.059 classical training based purely on instinct, 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:03.940 performative skill, and incredibly careful choices. 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:06.940 She mastered the girl next door persona and then 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:09.140 masterfully evolved beyond it. She found a new 00:24:09.140 --> 00:24:11.400 model for what a movie star can be, right? Someone 00:24:11.400 --> 00:24:13.519 who can navigate a blockbuster and a strange, 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:16.299 low -budget indie film with equal success. Hashtag 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:18.220 tag outro. When you look at the whole story, 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:20.099 it really is defined by this central contradiction, 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:22.339 isn't it? As a kid, she runs away from chaos 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:24.200 and finds safety in the predictable structure 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:27.460 of a script. Exactly. The theater script was 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:30.319 her refuge from a world that felt like it was 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:33.160 on fire. And yet, as a mature artist, she now 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:35.700 actively seeks out the most chaotic, the most 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:38.160 strange, the most unpredictable roles she can 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:42.000 find. Because that need for certainty that she 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.960 had as a child has evolved. It's now a professional 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:49.279 drive to control the artistic narrative. She's 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:51.039 not just following the script anymore. She's 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:53.400 writing it. She's building the structure herself 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:56.289 through her production company. So what does 00:24:56.289 --> 00:24:58.069 that leave us with? What does this mean for the 00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:00.269 future of the A -list star? Well, I think it 00:25:00.269 --> 00:25:01.730 leaves us with a really provocative question. 00:25:01.930 --> 00:25:04.690 Given this decisive move toward riskier material 00:25:04.690 --> 00:25:07.509 and her willingness to align with these sensitive 00:25:07.509 --> 00:25:10.150 political causes, does her success now depend 00:25:10.150 --> 00:25:12.910 on her constantly pushing boundaries? Or has 00:25:12.910 --> 00:25:14.950 she reached a point as a producer where she's 00:25:14.950 --> 00:25:16.750 just completely independent of those traditional 00:25:16.750 --> 00:25:19.549 Hollywood pressures? That's the thing. She doesn't 00:25:19.549 --> 00:25:21.769 have to just find the challenging roles anymore. 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:25.299 She has achieved the power to simply decide to 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:28.440 make them. And that fundamental shift from being 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:30.759 reactive to being proactive, from an actor to 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:33.099 a creator, that might just be the new blueprint 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:35.980 for celebrity power. The power not just to play 00:25:35.980 --> 00:25:38.779 the game, but to change the rules entirely. A 00:25:38.779 --> 00:25:41.160 compelling thought to end on. Thank you for joining 00:25:41.160 --> 00:25:43.480 us for this deep dive into the incredible career 00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:44.279 of Emma Stone.