Emma Stone is one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood. From leading comedies like Easy A and Zombieland to giving spectacular dramatic performances in La La Land and The Favourite, Stone has proven herself to be one of our best actresses as well as a bankable movie star. The Superbad alum has been working in the industry since she was very young and has been dealt a lot of advice from a number of Hollywood professionals over the years. She recently proved that not all advice is good advice when she recalled some “garbage” guidance she once got from a movie executive.
The actress accepted an award this week at the Palm Springs International Film Awards for her critically-acclaimed performance in Poor Things. During her acceptance speech she revealed that an executive once gave her bad advice regarding being a young actress in Hollywood. In his mind, the executive was seemingly making an observation about acting careers when it comes to men and women. However, one could argue he would’ve been setting Stone down the wrong path with his perspective. She recalled (via IndieWire):
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. And in his eyes, for women, it was a sprint, not a marathon. And that was 20 years ago.
What he likely meant by this is that women are seen as being most valuable and most interesting when they are young. And with that thinking, he was likely implying that Emma Stone should try to do as many projects as she can while she was considered to be in her prime. For men, on the other hand, their legitimacy and seriousness supposedly builds over time, as they grow into seasoned performers. Obviously, this negates the incredibly nuanced and interesting work done by older actresses and overlooks a female performer's potential as she ages. Thankfully, Stone recognized how terrible the suggestion was, further saying:
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.
There are more than a few examples of women who have delivered some of their most meaningful work as they have gotten older. So this executive had a pretty narrow way of looking at things. Michelle Yeoh won her first Oscar at 60 (much to her mother's delight) for her nuanced and complex performance in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and stars like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, and Glenn Close continue to deliver intricate and evolving perspectives on the female experience through their characters. Just this year, Julianne Moore, Annette Benning and Jodie Foster gave some of the most compelling performances on the big screen.
As for Emma Stone, the Academy Award winner is only 35, and has numerous interesting and multifaceted roles in front of her. She has already proved that the roles for women can be more intriguing the older and more experienced you get, as she has become much more inventive when it comes to the roles she's taken in recent years. The idea of the ingénue being the ceiling for female actresses is a tired one, and I can’t wait to see what other characters Stone choses to explore as she grows as a performer.
You can see Emma Stone in Poor Things, which is currently playing in theaters nationwide. The Cruella actress gives one of her best performances to date in Yorgos Lanthimos' film, and she could win a second Oscar for it. So make sure to see it on the big screen while you still can. Fans can also check out Stone alongside Nathan Fielder in the new miniseries The Curse, which is currently streaming for premium Paramount+ subscribers.
