Emma Stone On Becoming ‘Cruella,’ Spider-Man Rumors & MORE! 👠 MTV News

I mean, this is a big performance. You kind of have to go for it. Like, especially when she's kind of become Cruella. Do you feel out there when you're kind of, like, doing the voice and the costume and just really going for it in this? I mean, practicing a laugh? I couldn't do that in front of anybody. That was just, like, humiliating to work on. Are there 10 different alt-laughs that we will never see? Totally. I mean, it's always, like, in the shower, trying to figure out how you perfect your own evil laugh. It's like, it has nothing to do with being an actor. That's, like, any person. Go take a shower and try to do your version of a laugh and just see if you would ever want to do that in front of a person. It's brutal. Emma, it's fantastic to see you. Congratulations on Cruella. This is a big swing of a movie. Only you, Emma, can make me feel sympathetic for the world's most notorious puppy murderer, so congratulations. Oh, God, I'm so glad. I'm so glad. That was the goal, right? I was afraid that you, you know, would still think she was evil or something. No, I'm totally on Team Cruella now. Do you find yourself defending her actions now? No, no, no. I don't, you know, to me, I don't think that this is necessarily a redemption story. A bit of this is a cautionary tale. I mean, she's fun. She's over the top and wild, but she can go to some very dark places, I think, and I don't necessarily think that she's being redeemed. Poor Estella, as a child, she's, like, mocked for her hair. She goes through it, and there's some deep trauma. Do you relate to that? Like, what was the mocking for Emily at the time? Oh, no, I mean, beyond being mocked for her hair, because I don't think she ever really cares about that. I think she's like, whatever, you guys are all losers, and I'm a genius, you know? That's kind of her idea, which is awesome, and I hope how every kid can feel. I think, you know, hers is more the shame of that whole, the journey that she goes through, like, she's responsible for something. My mom, I don't know. When you suck your thumb until you're a preteen, you gotta kind of accept that I was 11, not 12, you know? That would be weird. 11 is a little arrogant. That would be weird. Was this a conversation point in the house? Do you remember this being a long kind of process to wean yourself off of your own bum? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had the, like, nail polish that tastes bad, didn't work. I had orthodonture, extensive orthodonture, including that little gate. I don't know if you've ever seen this on a kid, but, like, a gate hangs down, didn't work. I would go up under it. It was nonsense. Nothing worked on me. You do share with this character kind of a, maybe a trivial or not trivial, kind of metamorphosis in that Estella becomes Cruella. You changed your name. You were Emily. You became Emma. Did that free you in any way? Was that, or is that just sort of literally just happenstance? Like, I had to change my name because of SAG, or could you reinvent yourself in some weird, silly way? I did reinvent myself. I changed my name to Riley for a minute. Oh, I forgot that. Right, right. Because I was a teenager, and they said you could change your name, and I was like, what's a cool name? And I was like, Riley's a cool name. I'll be Riley, and then I, and then it totally freaked me out, so I changed it to Emma. But, no, I never would have changed my name if I didn't have to. And people, you know, anybody that knows me calls me Emily, but I actually do like the distinction now, because if I hear Emma, I know I must be working. You know? If it's Emily, it must be, like, someone that doesn't know me that well, or that needs to call me that because it's work. You know, it's funny, because there's people that I work with that are like, I'm gonna have to call you Emma for the interview. The people that know me, they're like, I have to say Emma, because it's gonna be weird if I say Emily, and they're gonna be like, do you not know her name, or whatever. Or it's the people that call you Riley that knew you for those three weeks that you were going to play. Yeah, you know, exactly. I'm forever stuck as Riley to them. And you know what? I love it. It's a much cooler name. This film, among other things, is a beautiful kind of mother-daughter story in different kind of incarnations, you know, without revealing too much. You know, I mean, it strikes me, when you started in the industry, and, like, it was super bad, you were probably mostly surrounded by dudes, especially in that film, right? Like, did you have actors, or producers, or filmmakers, female artists, that kind of mentored you in the beginning, or did you find those later, or how did that work? Most of the women that I've looked to, I've looked up to, and have learned things from. So, I remember I did a show that is now, you know, will be incredibly controversial, but Pamela Adlon was on it. And she was incredibly protective and sweet to me. And then when I do Crazy, Stupid, Love, I just, like, fawned all over Julianne Moore, who I adore to this day. She was just so cool, and supportive, and wonderful, and has been that way ever since with me, and did play my mother in that movie. I love Laura Dern. She's been incredible to me. There's a lot of really amazing women that have been doing this for a little bit longer than I have, and they've been able to sort of, like, help me to navigate things that might feel a bit, you know, scary or confusing as a young woman, who is really surrounded, yeah, by a lot of dudes. Do you find that kind of full circle moments yet, as you progress in your career, where, like, certainly you encounter fans, young girls, you know, teens, who looked up to you, who still look up to you, or even on sets, like, young actresses? Is that surreal for you to kind of, like, pursue to be on the other foot now? Very, yeah. Very, very surreal. And not something that I feel like, oh, this is definitely, like, I'm in this position of being able to be an authority, or give all this advice, you know? But at the same time, I think it's one of the most important things, at least for women in any career, when you realize that there are people that are younger than you, that are doing the same thing you do, to be a source of support and wisdom, and just a sounding board for them. I think it's hugely important. So even though I don't feel like any type of, like, wealth of knowledge on the subject of, like, you know, working in this industry in any particular way, I do actually find that just having a little bit longer amount of experience, like in any job, it is amazing to be able to have conversations with people younger than me, and to be able to be there for them if they, you know, have anything that they feel like should not be happening, or, like, should shift or change. It's an honor to get to do that. On a much more trivial note, can we clear up the one salacious rumor surrounding this film? What's up with the Spice Girls story? Okay, that you were supposedly, you got injured because you were at a Spice Girls concert on some, no, no, no truth. It happened the night before the Spice Girls concert. This person nearby in London, we have a couple of friends, and I went to this, like, little gathering at his house, and the floor, I think, had maybe just been waxed, and I was wearing very slippery shoes, and I slipped, and my arm went back, and I didn't know it was broken at the time. I also think I have a bone density issue, because I've broken many bones in my life, and it broke in two places, and I had to go to the Spice Girls concert the next night, and I have this cuff from boots, which is like the Walgreens of the UK, and I put my arm in this little cuff, and I was in extreme pain at the Spice Girls concert, which was a major bummer, but the story would have been so much better if I had broken it at the Spice Girls concert. I wish it was that, but it was not. It was much more kind of humiliating, because I would love to fall off someone's shoulders and break my arm watching. Watching my favorite girls. I was gonna say, is it more surreal that you have a, you must know them to a degree by now. You've met them on several occasions, I think. Is that the surreal part, or is it like, I mean, you also know Bill Murray. Like, you know, like, the, you know, the icon of icons for you. Yeah, that's true, yeah. Which one would excite young Emily more? That's a, that's like apples and oranges. Right. Yeah, that's an impossible one to choose. You know, I was, I was looking back at all the films you've done and we've discussed over the years, and while you've been front and center in obviously a lot of films, you've been the lead or the co-lead in many films, you've been in franchise films, Spider-Man films, et cetera. Yeah. Quotes, there are Spider-Man films. Spider-Man. Allegedly, the character of Spider-Man. But this is the first kind of like tank pole, whatever we, jargon we use out of the trades, kind of movie where you are, it's on you. It's sold on your face, your name. Is that something you kind of like relish that responsibility or am I giving you hives mentioning something like that? You know what's, what's strange about it is more than anything, it's kind of like a vulnerable feeling because I'm in LA and so when you drive around, they've, it's, it's Disney. So Disney owns a lot of the billboards in LA. So they put up these billboards and yeah, it's kind of like a vulnerable feeling. Like it sort of feels like it, like you're a little bit naked in front of the class kind of thing. Right, right. Because I've never really seen that kind of a billboard situation. And it's, it's a little, it's a little bizarre. But again, here comes the Emma, Emily distinction again. It's not that I'm not me, I'm being me with you right now. But I do have a sort of, same reason I don't have social media, I really engage in that side of my life. Yeah, you compartmentalize to a degree, right? I do compartmentalize to a degree. I love my job, but it has always been very much a job to me. And I don't think that success or failure in that side of the job defines who I am as me, Emily. So I, I see that and it does feel vulnerable and it's odd because I do know that is technically me, but it is still not to me. Right, well, no, I get it. I resent your healthy attitude because I'd like you to be a bit more of a mess for my purposes, but I guess we'll go with your healthy attitude today. No, I'm not like, oh, and I'm really the, I'm really doing well with that day in and day out. No, of course, especially when I've made mistakes in my career and I've done things that I would not choose to do now, that affects me pretty deeply and that doesn't feel like a dissociative thing. I do, that does affect me. But when it comes to like success or failure of the film itself, or if my performance is like really, I was trying something, I was grateful for the challenge and I was grateful for the opportunity. So it's not like, I don't know, I don't know. No, I get it. I'm curious like what you remember about like the first couple of years when, you know, it was super bad and House Bunny. Did it feel like a dramatic kind of overnight shift? Like I caught up with Chris Germans' boss recently and he recalls a very like, I mean, it was kind of changed. Chris became like an icon. That's a different situation, that he became like, you knew him anywhere. Yeah, he was like a Disney character. He was like, it's Mickey Mouse on the street. That wasn't me, that wasn't my experience. You know, he had a very different thing. So it wasn't tough for you to kind of navigate like the first couple of years out. Like this is what you always wanted. This is like what you like literally put the PowerPoint through the presentation to do for your parents. This is like what the goal was. So was it like everything you wanted it to be at the time or was it intimidating or overwhelming in ways you didn't expect? What do you recall? I would say the intimidating and overwhelming came a little bit later. I felt very lucky because it wasn't like an overnight thing for me. I was getting the chance to do these movies with people that I was like so excited about the opportunities that I was getting to have. But it wasn't like, you know, for quite a few years, people would go like, did we go to school together? Right. So it wasn't like I had the Christopher Minsploss experience. That is a totally different thing. And I have friends that definitely went through more of an overnight version of that. And that I don't think I would have handled well. You know, I'm sure at 17, I was dreaming of that happening. Like, let's get to do whatever you want after you do this one movie. That never was really my story. It was more of a slow burn. What about the choice at the time or was it not even a choice? Like when you decided to sign on to something like Spider-Man was that something that you wrestled with or was it like, no, this is what you go after. Like this is what you aspire to in one aspect as an actor. It was weird. This is a strange like thing that happened but I auditioned for Spider-Man the day EZA came out. Like the day, September 17th. It was the day it came out. So it was interesting because I had gotten to play this character that I was so insanely in love with in EZA. I loved that character more than anything. Then Gwen Stacy was a very different kind of experience, you know, in that kind of movie. And I've said this before, really what was most exciting about Spider-Man was working with Andrew. That was what I was like, oh my God, when I did that audition, I was like, he's so amazing. He's such an incredible actor. That was what I was so excited about. It wasn't really the idea of like, oh, it's this huge larger than life franchise. And if anything, that was like really daunting. Yeah. But it was a great experience and it was something I felt like I was really lucky to do and I was so glad I was able to do. But this is the first time, Cruella is the first time since that movie that it's that kind of, like you were saying, like that kind of, really more than anything, it's a character that people know anywhere you are in the world, which is not, which the only other comparison that I've been in is Spider-Man. I caught up with Andrew really recently. And like, my sense is he's very protective of those films. Like, you know, like those were like, they were tough experiences for a variety of reasons, a lot of cooks in the kitchen, et cetera. But at the end of the day, like they were pivotal moments for your careers. And like, do you look at that back similarly at those two films with kind of like. Completely. And I had wonderful experiences making them, even though I know they were challenging, but I loved working with Mark and I loved working with that whole team. It was really, I don't know, a special experience for me. And I feel, yeah, similarly protective. And I felt protective of that version of Spider-Man too. But there's been some wonderful Spider-Men throughout history. This is true. It's like Hamlet. You just pass it on to the next. All the Spider-Men have been wonderful. Well, you know, the rumors lately are that all the Spider-Men are going to get together. I don't know if you caught my interview with Andrew recently. He gave the most vicious denial that he is in the new Spider-Man film. Not vicious in an aggressive way, but it was aggressive. Aggressive in a sweet Andrew way. There also are rumors that you're going to be involved. Have you heard these rumors? I have heard those rumors. I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything, but I'm not. That's what Andrew said too. So you're in good company. Okay, all right, cool. I don't know what you're supposed to respond as an alumnus. Well, you guys meet as a secret society of former Spider-Men and women, right? Yeah, like the Ninja Turtles. Yeah, yeah. Speaking of, over the years, we've often talked about your pop culture tastes. Yes, yes, I'm very, very involved. I remember once you told me that you thought your theory was that Game of Thrones was a made-up show. Did you ever accept reality that Game of Thrones is real and even watch it? I don't think it even exists. You're really holding fast to this. I think that everybody made a pact that they'd say, like, we are obsessed with this show. This is horrible, actually, and I actually really regret this. I was around a number of people who were really, really, really obsessed, which is everyone in the world, but this group of people that I was around were really obsessed. And I watched, this is horrible. No, it's good. A final episode without having seen any of the show. And to be honest, I was like, wow, this acting is, like, really good. I was like, this seems like a pretty great show, but I know the ending. So I was like, what am I supposed to do? And everybody's mad about the ending, too. I don't know why, because I don't know what happened before it. But I was like, everybody seems very good. It looks gorgeous. I was like, this probably is a great show. And then I was like, but I can't start from the beginning now because I know the ending, so what am I gonna do? Right. You box yourself into a corner. I don't think it's a big show anymore because that last episode I thought was awesome. Everybody seems mad about it. I think it's great. She burned down the- Don't. Are you getting mad again about the ending? No, no, no, no. I'm not getting mad. I actually was very late to the party, but I at least watched all of them in the end. But do what you gotta do. Do what you gotta do. Would you consider at this point doing another musical? Obviously, La La Land turned out pretty well. Is it like quit while I'm ahead? Or would you consider- I don't, I mean, listen. The argument in La La Land was like, oh, you know, she can't really sing that well, but that's fun, because it's like she's just a girl. She's not a Broadway star. I think that's true and not necessarily like, I don't know that I should be out there doing a bunch of musicals. But listen, it depends on the musical and if that is still acceptable, that I'm not, you know, Managing expectations always. I was the same with Cabaret. I remember you said the same thing. You know, realistic. Right. Well, musical's back. We got, you know, West Side Story and In the Heights. It's all happening. I mean, I know, but it's just imagine trying to sing I Feel Pretty. Yikes. I know you mentioned recently your teen obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio. I only bring this up because the last time I saw him about a year and a half ago, I brought up the infamous door debate. As a lifelong Titanic fan, could he have fit on that door? Did Rose sell him out? They tried once, Josh, once, and it killed him. Okay. If that's not a message to never give up, I don't know what is. Everyone knows he could have survived on that door. Everyone knows. That door was huge. I know. A single person in the middle of that door. You could fit three people on that door. We all know the truth and we all know the answer. Here's my unsolicited pitch for you. This has to have come up at some point. When I was thinking about talking to you and reuniting, Gilda Radner biopic. Come on. Me? Yeah. Oh, never me. No, no, God no. Oh, no. Are you kidding me? No way. I can never. I'm not right. You think so? No, no, no, no, no. No way. But that said, if they want to make one, I would love to be involved behind the scenes because I love her. But no. Rosanna Downow. I've seen it. That was not a good Rosanna Downow. And we both know that, Josh. Let's just be honest. Know your limits. It's important to know your limits. Speaking of limits and aspirations and goals, like it strikes me that you achieved and are achieving so much at a remarkable young age. I mean, you get the Oscar, you get to like Mount Olympus before you're 30, basically. Does that change? Does that screw up a little bit of like the dreams, the life plans? Is it like, oh God, like what do I do now? At least for me, it does not change anything. It's a wonderful, beautiful experience and night and movie to be involved with, but it didn't change anything. And what I'm looking for or what I am looking to do, it's still the same. Sometimes you think like, oh, when this happens, I'll feel fulfilled or I'll feel happy. That's through everything. That's like events in your life. That's events in your work, all of it. And then you get there and you always realize like, no, there's still another thing I would like to do or achieve or whatever. So it doesn't, you know, it just never really stops.