Emily Jean “Emma” Stone is considered one of the most influential actresses of the contemporary age. She started acting in the theater back when she was a kid and has grown to excel in the craft ever since. In more recent years, we’ve seen her receive accolades from different award-giving bodies. But does she have an Oscar?
Emma Stone has received an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2017 for her portrayal of Mia in the movie La La Land.
She played the role of an aspiring actress, Mia Dolan, and the love interest of Seb, played by Ryan Gosling. The romantic musical comedy-drama was directed by Whiplash director, Damien Chazelle.
Journey to La La Land
Originally, another Emma was slated for this role – Emma Watson, that is.
She, however, declined due to her commitment to play Belle in the Disney live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Meanwhile, Gosling declined the role of the Beast, and so director Chazelle met with him while filming The Big Short.
Ultimately, the pairing of Stone and Gosling was the closest they could get to an old Hollywood couple, according to Chazelle. The production started filming around July 2015 and took about 40 days to finish.
The movie La La Land was a commercial success, earning $448 million worldwide while on a $30 million budget. Critics commended the movie for being able to masterfully resurrect a “bygone genre.”
Director Chazelle has been applauded for his screenplay, direction, cinematography, and music.
The film earned 14 nominations from the Academy and bagged six awards including Best Director for Chazelle, Best Actress for Stone, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Production Design.
Awards and Accolades
Emma Stone’s acting performance in the film was also recognized and awarded by the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and the Screen Actors Guild.
Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune shares that “she’s reason enough to see La La Land.”
From an anxious child to becoming America’s leading actress of the 2010s, Emma has achieved so much in her 33 years. But she’s nowhere near stopping. In her acceptance speech, Stone humbly said:
“I still have a lot of growing and learning and work to do, “and this [Oscar statue] is a really beautiful symbol to continue on that journey.”
The Journey Continues
After the success of La La Land, Stone did Battle of the Sexes with Steve Carell. It was a film based on the 1973 tennis match between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
The movie tackles a mix of comedy, politics, sexuality, and revolt. Critics gave it mixed reviews saying that the movie was entertaining but the treatment of the storytelling was flawed.
The performances of the actors were commendable. Even Billie Jean King herself praised Stone’s portrayal of her: “She’s my No.1. It was meant to be.”
Another riveting performance by Stone was in the role of Abigail Mashamin in the movie The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
The movie zeroes in on the relationship of the cousins Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail while vying for the attention of Queen Anne as a Court favorite.
Stone is joined by equally formidable actresses Olivia Colman of The Crown and Rachel Weisz of The Mummy. Emma once again received numerous nominations for Best Supporting Actress from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, SAG, and BAFTA Awards.
Emma re-joined Woody Harrelson and the rest of the cast in the movie sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap. She also lent her voice to play Eep in the computer-animated comedy-adventure movie sequel, The Croods: New Age.
Then come the 2021 Disney live-action movie Cruella in honor of the notoriously wicked villain, Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians.
Emma played the title role and enthralls the audience with the most avant-garde fashion pieces that pull inspiration from the punk rock movement in London and heavily resemble the late Alexander McQueen‘s masterpieces.
Though the film felt a little bit too much for some, Cruella earned $233.5 million at the box office, which earned it a green light for a sequel. Just a week after its theatrical release, Stone signed for another movie to be released sometime in 2023 at the earliest.
She’s got the whole world on her feet and fans are thrilled to see more of Emma Stone in the coming years. What could be the next movie and role that would get her a second Oscar?