Emma Stone has admitted that her acting idol is Diane Keaton, and it makes sense: now that you think about it, it’s hard not to notice the parallels between the two, right? Like Keaton, Stone is instantly likable and sparkles with humor—one could argue that she’s a comedienne first and foremost. She is accessible, but never loses her stellar brightness.
In ten years, she went from her debut (in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) to a beloved Hollywood figure and Oscar winner. But like Keaton, it’s easy to imagine her expanding her horizons, continuing to evolve without losing her innate charm. She’s like one of us, being the best of us… which perfectly defines a movie star.
In The Poor Things, Stone plays Bella, a woman who commits suicide but is revived by an eccentric scientist and transformed into a child-like creature until she begins to gain real-life experience. This is the last role for today in the career of an actress who is ready for anything: be it playing in pure comedy, strange supporting roles or images of fatal beauties. It will be extremely interesting to update this list as the years go by – after all, look where Keaton has gotten. Who knows, maybe Stone can go just as far… or even further?
Irrational Man (2015)
The better of Woody Allen’s two films starring Stone, Irrational Man features her as a bright, sensitive student who falls in love with her brilliant, dark philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix), who in turn begins to develop feelings for her. If Moonlight was Stone’s chance at an Allen-era comedy, Irrational Man is more reminiscent of Crime and Punishment, examining morality, guilt and the absence of God in a murder plot. Stone’s role is important—she realizes how difficult and dangerous her teacher is and must take action—but the actress lacks gravitas in the drama. In her performance, her vigor fades into dullness in Allen’s films, which ultimately seems more his problem than hers.
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
If this annoyingly cute rom-com had focused more on Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s storyline, we’d have appreciated it a lot more. The rest of the film strains to be profound about how complicated love is. The actress is great as Hannah, a law school student who decides she’s had enough of her fickle boyfriend and decides to try her luck with Jacob, a seductive seducer blessed with Ryan Gosling’s good looks.
Like several of Stone’s other films, It’s Stupid Love allows her to start off as slightly weird before she shows her wilder side – which, naturally, is still a little weird, but very lovable. Hannah may be uptight, but she’s funny as hell, and Stone’s vibe comes through brilliantly when she coaxes him out of his mind to take his shirt off after finally checking out his abs. The film’s highlight occurs later in the same episode, when Stone and Gosling recreate Dirty Dancing’s most famous moment. The film is easy going but also very sexy.
Zombieland (2009 and 2019)
It’s another minor role, but she brings her own sassy yet oh-so-fun character amid the zombie apocalypse, being one of the few survivors. (And Bill Murray, of course.) It’s a small role, but that’s what makes it significant: She brings something soulful and warm to the funky, unbalanced Zombieland. It was fascinating to watch the birth of a star – although the best that can be said about the failed sequel is that, despite the fact that she was already too famous to do anything like that, she still seemed committed to her crazy image .
The Help (2011)
Tate Taylor’s surprise monster hit could have been overly intrusive and white-savior, and at times it is, but Stone gives it substance with her ability to play characters who are lacking and bumbling, but also glamorous and more capable than almost everything around them. Impressively, she knows when to step back and make way for her co-stars, giving Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain the space they need to lead the film before pulling it back in to keep the plot focused. It’s a quietly impressive performance and the mark of a true movie star.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
While Stone may not have known about the La La Land awards campaign, Battle of the Sexes was filmed before her promotional campaign took a real turn. In this crowd-pleasing biopic, she plays Billie Jean King, a top women’s league tennis player in the early 1970s who decides that she and her tour mates shouldn’t be paid so much less for their work than their male counterparts. The film is a feminist paraphrase, sometimes too diffuse – preferring I have feelings over nuance – but Stone brings heart to it, showing us a woman fighting for equality but also struggling with her own sexual orientation as she embarks on an affair with a handsome hairdresser.
Birdman (2014)
For her portrayal of Sam, Michael Keaton’s moody daughter recovering from addiction and a master flirt, Stone received her first Oscar nomination in this Best Picture winner. “Birdman” was a significant change in Stone’s career: she had appeared in other dramas, but she had never seemed so dangerous. Shedding her sweet-girl image, Stone convincingly satirizes the delusions of her embarrassment-father hero, and then actually takes the film down the drain in a scene with Edward Norton, the vain protagonist. In a movie, good or bad, Stone is like an invisible missile, blowing up every scene in which she appears.
The Favorite (2018)
Typically, we don’t get hung up on the so-called “rogue category” when it comes to which actor is positioned as a front-runner for Oscar consideration. However, as great as Olivia Colman is in The Favourite, the main character is technically Abigail, Emma Stone’s scheming heroine who drives the plot forward and sneaks into the queen’s heart (and bed). The edge that Stone brought to her role in Birdman was honed into this film, resulting in a darkly comic twist that is also surprisingly moving. (As much as Abigail uses Queen Anne, she has some sympathy for this sick, lonely woman).
Much has been made of how Yorgos Lanthimos’s prickly comedy is like 18th-century All About Eve, which means Stone’s performance as Anne Baxter is delightful to watch as this poisonous schemer gets what she really wants and at the same time he still receives well-deserved retribution.
Easy A (2010)
The teen film was Stone’s first starring role, and she later admitted that the stress of making it led to many sleepless nights. Watching the light, cunning and emotional “Excellent student…”, one can only be surprised. This is the epitome of Stone’s notorious “sweet-sizzling” look. She plays a meticulous, socially awkward 17-year-old beauty who lies about her virginity, making her unexpectedly popular. Even when the film’s inspiration begins to fade, the main character, due to her originality, intelligence and sensitivity, draws you to the screen like a magnet.
Poor Things (2023)
Stone’s second collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos turned out to be even crazier than the first. Here she demonstrated her mastery of physical comedy as the naive Bella, whose body is recovered from the river after a suicide attempt.
Now brought to life by Dr. Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a mad scientist devoted to his unholy experiments, she has no memory of who she was, babbles like an idiot and exudes the emotional intelligence of a baby. But Bella is a quick learner, drawn in by a lusty lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) in this crisp black comedy that may be the purest expression of her signature funny, inspired side.
In “The Poor Things,” she reveals her potential to the audience as Bella goes through sexual and personal evolution throughout the film, growing from a naive fool into a fully confident young woman who is constantly cheerful. The film gives Stone a chance to showcase her talent, proving that despite the Oscar, she’s not afraid to take bold steps. This time she does it at the highest level.