Why does Emma Stone top our list as the number one rising star under 30? A better question might be – why wouldn’t Emma Stone be named number one on a list featuring stars with the drive, charisma and… um… actual talent to make a major impression on Hollywood? After all, Ms. Stone not only starred in Superbad, one of the best teen comedies to hit screens since the days of John Hughes, but she’s gearing up for a career-turning summer with two major film releases in the month of August alone. If a thriving career wasn’t enough, Stone’s clever wit, striking maturity, infectious humor and no b.s. street smarts make her a force to be reckoned with (not to mention, a damn cool chick to hang out with). But what really sets her apart from the pack is her passion for the craft of movie making. Stone’s knowledge of the industry is not only impressive but downright refreshing. She even lists Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights as her favorite film of all time (and did we mention she’s only 19!). Finally an actress on the rise who pays attention! Needless to say, we see big things for this bright-eyed It girl.

Settling down on a cushy couch after a long day spent shooting our cover spread at L.A.’s Hotel Angeleno, Stone is surprisingly bubbly and energetic. Her upbeat attitude and humor are contagious, and she’s managed to keep our crew laughing throughout the day’s packed schedule with her hilarious quips and jokester antics. Finally, as she hugs the last of our team to depart, I am able to sit down with the young starlet and get the story on how this whole acting/stardom thing all came to be.

Originally from Arizona, Stone caught the acting bug early on. “I just always wanted to act from birth,” she recalls and pretty much did just that through a children’s theater program where Stone participated in 16 plays and was even able to join an improv troop. The experience proved to be particularly beneficial for the budding comic actress who soon realized that making people laugh was something she wanted to pursue as a career. “I think I was drawn to comedy originally because when I was really young, by the time I was eight I had seen movies like The Jerk, Animal House, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles with my dad, and I knew them by heart,” says Stone. “I loved them and my dad loved them, and we would laugh together, and I would think, ‘This is love.’ I just wanted to make people feel like that.”


With her mind made up to make the move to Los Angeles, it was up to Stone to convince her parents. “When I was 14 -years-old, I made this PowerPoint presentation, and I invited my parents into my room and gave them popcorn. It was called ‘Project Hollywood 2004’ and it worked. I moved to L.A. in January of 2004,” Stone remembers. While the idea of a child urging her parents to uproot their lives and indulge her dreams by means of a PowerPoint presentation is pretty hilarious, the kicker is that it worked. At just 15, Stone left her home and high school and flew out to L.A. with her mother for pilot season. After facing rejection for eight straight months, Stone finally landed the role of Laurie Partridge on the VH1 remake of The Partridge Family. It was then that she officially convinced her parents that she had made the right choice.

While leaving the world of school dances and high school football games to try and make a go of it in one of the most cutthroat industries around is a pretty ballsy move for a 15-year-old, Stone believes in trusting your gut. “I rely on my instincts and intuition, and I feel it’s so imperative for people to follow not the path but their path.” Still, she admits that developing a tough skin and a solid work ethic are a must when it comes to surviving such a tough business. “It’s definitely a shock to go from being 15 in high school to working. There’s no real cushion there. There’s no preparation at all. You learn by doing.”


Usually, the actual “doing” takes some time to achieve for new actors and actresses, but Stone developed her chops early on when she landed the role of Jonah Hill’s dream girl crush, Jules, in the teen comedy Superbad – a part she auditioned for before the project was even greenlit for production. “The script was so hysterical to me so I was just excited to be a part of something that was that funny and inline with my humor because that’s so rare,” says Stone. She even got a chance to do some improv in her audition with Hill, which for some might be incredibly intimidating but for Stone was terribly exciting. While the filming proved to be a great experience according to Stone, the overwhelming response to the young actress’ very first movie was unprecedented. Stone became an overnight success. “I don’t think anyone thought it was going to do what it did,” she says. “I was so lucky that it turned out that way.”

Stone now has two big comedies set for release – both hitting the big screen in August. In Fox’s The Rocker, Stone will star alongside Rainn Wilson (The Office) who plays a washed up drummer who joins his nephew’s rock band for a second chance at fame. Stone plays Amelia, a stonefaced, sullen girl who is the bassist for the band, appropriately named A.D.D. Stone took a crash course in playing bass before filming and laughs that she can now play all eight songs from the film along with the Beatles’ “Day Tripper.”

But the best part about filming, according to Stone, was working with Wilson, who sufficiently impressed her with his great attitude and professionalism during the many long night shoots. “I just think he’s so great, and he has the most amazing work ethic,” she gushes, recalling all the “crazy stuff” he had to do in the film and never once hearing him complain. Always hoping to learn from her experiences, these are the kind of lessons Stone takes to heart. “I always try to remember his outlook when I feel like complaining,” she says. “He’s awesome.”


Stone’s second comedy, The House Bunny, is the story of a former Playboy playmate who becomes the house mother to a sorority of social misfits. Stone plays Natalie, the sorority’s quick-witted president who undergoes some changes thanks to her new house mother, played by Anna Faris. “She was the first character I ever got to develop on film which was very exciting,” says Stone, who even got to name her character. (She chose “Natalie” after Natalie Portman; an actress she admires for her articulate nature and intelligence). While the film seems to focus on each of the sorority girls undergoing a major makeover, Stone explains that the basic message of the film is all about being yourself. “The common misconception is that these girls are ugly and she [Faris’ character] makes them pretty, but that’s really not it,” explains Stone. “It’s just that they don’t really care, and then she tells them that they should… and then they realize that it’s ok to care and not care.”

Stone has already worked with some fantastic actors and directors, but her ultimate wish list includes heavy hitters Cameron Crowe, Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. “Who doesn’t think they couldn’t get along with Diane Keaton? She’s so real and relatable!” Stone says excitedly. “Have you seen her L’Oreal commercial? I want to buy everything because she seems so enthusiastic about it!”

But Stone won’t have the chance to work with many of the stars she truly admires. “It’s really tough because a lot of the people that I’m influenced by or would want to collaborate with or would want to meet even have died,” she says, noting SNL’s late, great Gilda Radner as one of her favorite comedic talents.

“I’m crazy about SNL. It’s my favorite show. You know how some actors are like, ‘If I ever won an Oscar…?’ That’s what hosting SNL would be like for me. I wouldn’t know where to go from there,” she laughs. “I’d be lost in a wilderness and have to find a new dream.”

And don’t even get her started on Charlie Chaplin; a legend who has had a profound influence on Stone. When his name comes up, Stone lights up, “He’s my favorite! He wrote and produced, and starred in and cast all of his movies! Can you imagine? I get really excited when I talk about Charlie Chaplin.”

Getting behind the scenes is something Stone hopes to do herself in the future. “I really want to produce eventually because I love movies so much. I always see the whole picture and sometimes picture other actors in the roles I’m in…which must be frustrating for my agents.”

Stone also loves writing, but when asked whether she would ever consider writing for film, she gets uncharacteristically shy. “I fear my taste is too good to trust myself to write a good movie,” she says, after pausing to consider the question. “I just feel like I know what a good movie is when I see it, but it doesn’t mean I could write that movie. There are better writers out there for the screen than me… but I would love to learn.”

By Jillian Gordon

Photography: Bobby Quillard
Photo Assistant: Andrew Goldman
Styling: Annie Jagger for MargaretMaldonado.com
Stylist Assistant: Natalie Saidi
Hair: Mara Roszak for Magnet LA
Makeup: Rachel Goodwin for Magnet LA
Location: Hotel Angeleno, Los Angeles