The failed audition that sent Emma Stone into a “meltdown”
American actor Emma Stone has enjoyed a steady rise to success since emerging in the mid-2000s. Initially recognisable for roles in comedies like Superbad, The House Bunny, Zombieland, and Easy A, Stone soon secured the part of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man and its subsequent sequel.
Yet, despite her Hollywood star status elevating higher – The Amazing Spider-Man was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2012 – Stone took this opportunity to work with some more unconventional directors.
This worked in the actor’s favour, and she earned her first Academy Award nomination after starring in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) by Alejandro González Iñárritu. While Stone didn’t win ‘Best Supporting Actress’, she showcased her ability to move into bolder cinematic territory.
In 2016, she appeared in one of the most successful hits of the 2010s, La La Land, a romantic musical which saw her star opposite Ryan Gosling. The actor successfully won ‘Best Actress’ at the Oscars for her performance, alongside a host of other awards, including a BAFTA.
The Oscars recognised her talents once again after she starred in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite in 2018, playing Abigail Masham, who desperately fights for Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) love and respect. The film marked Stone’s first collaboration with Lanthimos, whom she reunited with for his 2022 short film Bleat and 2023’s Poor Things. The actor will also be starring in his upcoming movie, And.
While Stone might be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, she still struggles with the anxiety that the industry brings. She once told Psychology, “Even after you start getting bigger parts and more recognition, you never really feel secure. You’re always worried about landing the next role, or how your last film did.”
Naturally, the film industry brings a lot of rejection, and Stone has had to endure some “no’s” that she really would’ve rather not heard. One of the rejections that affected Stone the most was a part in the superhero drama Heroes, starring Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere. Stone was after Panettiere’s part – Claire Bennet, a cheerleader who can regenerate her cells abnormally fast – however, she was unsuccessful.
She told Vanity Fair, “I could hear that, in the other room, a girl had just gone in and they were saying, ‘You are our pick … On a scale of 1 to 10 you’re an 11’. I went home and just had this meltdown.”
Heroes ran for four seasons, and while Panettiere achieved widespread success, Stone is now one of Hollywood’s biggest names. By failing to earn a place in Heroes, Stone was able to build up a steady list of film credits which would springboard her to greater recognition, awarding her with life-changing opportunities.
