Oscar-nominated actress Emma Stone, who has a
lead role in Woody Allen's upcoming film, Irrational Man, graces the
cover of WSJ. Magazine's July/August issue. In her interview with Josh
Eells, Stone talks about why it's "terrifying" to work with Allen; the Sony
Pictures hack and how she reacted when her phone number and email address were
published; and the reason why she didn't flip around the bag with actor Andrew
Garfield's name on it when she recently left their stylist's office. Stone also
discusses her major pet peeves, how she's choosing her next roles and why acting
helped her combat the anxieties she suffered growing up. In addition to the
article, Stone is featured in a WSJ. Q&A video where she chooses between
pairs of options such as "Bradley Cooper or Ryan Gosling," "Batman or Superman"
and "Paparazzi or colonoscopy."
Woody Allen is also interviewed in the
article.
The article is now available online, while the July/August issue hits newsstands on Saturday, June 27.
EMMA STONE ON:
Carrying a bag labeled with actor Andrew
Garfield's name on it from their shared stylist's office: “See, I never
talk about this stuff for this exact reason—because it’s all so
speculative and baseless. Once you start responding—once you’re like, ‘No,
that’s not true’—then they’re like, ‘Well, if we push enough, we’ll get a
comment, so let’s see what else we can make up.’ I understand the interest in it
completely, because I’ve had it, too. But it’s so special to me that it never
feels good to talk about, so I just continually don’t talk about it.”
Admitting she could have flipped the bag around
to avoid speculation: “When I picked up the bag, I was like, ‘This is
kind of funny if there are any [paparazzi] out there.’ There’s probably some
rebelliousness that comes out in me after all these stories and people texting
you for weeks about something that, for the most part, is not true. But even
when it’s false, I would rather just let it be false.”
Her reaction to her phone number and email
address being published on WikiLeaks after the Sony Pictures hack:
"Then I did one of the worst things ever, which was react really quickly. I was
getting all these emails and texts from people I didn’t know—‘Hi, I’m Joe from
the U.K. I like your movies’—and I was so overwhelmed that I went to my inbox
and I deleted all my emails. In about a 30-second span, I hit ‘Select All’ and
‘Delete Forever,’ and thousands of emails, like six years of emails, are now
gone forever. I was just so freaked out that someone was in there...It
was horrible. I cried for like an hour. Most of the emails I’m mourning I can
still talk to the person and get them back. But there’s others where the person
is actually gone. It really sucks."
Working with Woody Allen (in films such
as Magic in the Moonlight and Irrational Man): “It’s
terrifying. He doesn’t do table reads or any rehearsal. You can’t even ask
questions about your character, because he’ll be like: ‘You know this is
a movie, right?’”
Not preparing an Oscar speech when she was
nominated for her role in Birdman: “Are you out of your mind?
Are you actually insane? Patricia Arquette had that thing locked up!”
Growing up with anxiety and suffering panic
attacks: “It was really bad. The first time I had a panic attack I was
sitting in my friend’s house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called
my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not
stop. I would go to the nurse at lunch most days and just wring my hands. I
would ask my mom to tell me exactly how the day was going to be, then ask again
30 seconds later. I just needed to know that no one was going to die and nothing
was going to change.”
How acting helped alleviate her
anxiety: “There’s something about the immediacy of acting. You can’t
afford to think about a million other things. You have to think about the task
at hand. Acting forces me to sort of be like a Zen master: What is happening
right in this moment?”
Reaching a milestone in her acting
career: “There’s this insane thing that happens where you get to a
point where you start not just doing things because you’re lucky to have gotten
the job, but you actually start making choices. ”
How she chooses which roles she takes:
“But recently I’m starting to enjoy having experiences that I wouldn’t allow
myself to have in real life—like Sally onstage, and the kind of mental breakdown
she goes through. To do that in front of an audience was super liberating. I’m
interested in things that are really scary and ambitious lately.
Obviously Birdman was like that. And then doing the play, I was like,
‘This feels like it could totally go wrong every single day.’ And something
about that feels vital. Is that a stupid thing to say?”
Passing on the all-female Ghostbusters
movie : “The script was really funny. It just didn’t feel like the right
time for me. A franchise is a big commitment—it’s a whole thing. I think
maybe I need a minute before I dive back into that water.”
Playing a villain in the future: “That
would be amazing. I would love that.”
WOODY ALLEN ON:
What he thought the first time he saw Emma
Stone in "one of those young people’s movies” while exercising on the
treadmill: “My God, this girl is remarkable.”
Emma Stone's talent and bright future in
Hollywood: “She’s so good in everything. I see a lot of the best traits
of Diane Keaton in her— Keaton was someone who could be in The
Godfather and movies with Meryl Streep but also do comedy and sing and
dance. I think Emma has the potential to be one of the biggest female stars for
years.”
His preference not to interact with the actors
in his films: “I never talk to any of the actors in any of my movies
about anything if I can avoid it.”
Photo Credit: Photography by
Angelo Pennetta for WSJ. Magazine
