It’s hard to believe it’s been 16 years since Emma Stone made her acting debut in Superbad. Before that, the Golden Globe winner didn’t have an easy beginning in Hollywood. She recalls when a sexist executive gave her “garbage” advice about being a woman in the industry.
Emma Stone has come a long way from being the 14-year-old who convinced her parents to move to Hollywood through a PowerPoint presentation. Last week, Stone won the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards’ Desert Palm Achievement Award for her performance in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Poor Things. During her speech, People reported that The Help actress recalled the “garbage” advice she received from a sexist exec.
“When I first moved to L.A., I went to one of those general meetings that they sometimes send you to, and an executive told me that for male actors, it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said the Zombieland actress. “And in his eyes, for women, it was a sprint, not a marathon. And that was 20 years ago.”
The Crazy, Stupid, Love actress initially struggled. What would have been her debut in The New Partridge Family ended up being an unsold pilot. She then lost the role of Claire Bennett to Hayden Panetierre in Heroes and had a role in the Fox drama Drive, which was canceled after seven episodes. But after playing side characters in many big films, her breakthrough came starring in Easy A.
Stone continued to mention in her speech her revelation on the early advice she got.
“And I realize that advice is total garbage because the majority of the women that I look up to in this industry, many of whom are in this room, have proven that as time goes on, life and work only get more interesting and more fulfilling.”
What is Emma Stone’s Acting Success Like Now?
2017 treated Emma Stone well after winning her first Golden Globe and Oscar for La La Land. But the accomplishments didn’t stop there. Her role in Poor Things as a resurrected corpse with the mind of an infant has given her high acclaim. Stone has received love from critics, audiences, and award shows. So far, her performance won her numerous awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Oscars decided to add her name to the Best Actress category this year.
Poor Things is not the only thing Emma Stone has going for her. After starring in the Golden Globe-winning movie, she’ll be reuniting with Yorgos Lanthimos in the upcoming anthology film Kinds of Kindness. The Favourite actress will also reprise her role in Cruella 2 and produce the horror film I Saw the TV Glow under her production company Fruit Tree.
Emma Stone’s career is truly growing “more interesting and more fulfilling,” as she said. Young women can look up to the talented actress and see that her career is anything but short-lived.
