Emma Stone adorably lit up at a press conference when a reporter addressed her by her real first name, "Emily," and we love her for her pure reaction.
The two-time Academy Award winner was promoting her new film Kinds of Kindness at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival when a reporter from Kazakhstan stood up and addressed her in a way Stone hadn't been accustomed to.
In circulating clips, the off-camera reporter was heard addressing the actor and Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed Stone in her award-winning performance in 2023's Poor Things.
The reporter began:
“My questions go to Emily Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos, so Emily...”
Before he could ask Stone a question, Lanthimos interrupted the reporter by alerting him of the name error.
However, the director stood corrected when Stone happily told the reporter:
“My name is Emily, thank you. Very nice.”
You can watch a clip here.
KINDS OF KINDNESS – Press Conference – English – Cannes 2024youtu.be
her reaction to the reporter calling her by her name emily 😭🫶pic.twitter.com/jam6fEBtTN
— emma stone's manager (@emmarstones) May 20, 2024
The fans loved her even more.
the cutest🥹
— ewa (@aitanka) May 20, 2024
she's so cute 😭
— uً (@ixumakantx) May 21, 2024
She’s my favorite
— LAMATHEHENRY (@MrMarkGraysonn) May 21, 2024
The La La Land actor was, in fact, born as Emily Jean Stone.
The 35-year-old actor previously explained she had to change her name to Emma when she received her Screen Actors Guild card due to another Emily Stone in the union.
The switch-up was not due to the two names sounding similar but presumably because of her admiration for pop singer Emma Lee Burton—a.k.a. "Baby Spice"—of the famed '90s British girl group the Spice Girls.
The subject came up when Stone answered a series of random questions, including "Which Spice Girl Are You?" in a 2018 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Stone told Fallon:
“Growing up …I was super blonde—and my real name is Emily—but I wanted to be called ‘Emma’ because of Baby Spice."
"And guess what? Now I am."
You can watch a clip from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon here.
Emma Stone Takes Buzzfeed's "Which Spice Girl Are You?" Quizyoutu.be
She added:
“It wasn’t necessarily because of her, but yes, in second grade, did I go up to the teacher on the first day and ask her to call me Emma? Yes I did."
"Was it because of Emma Lee Burton from the Spice Girls? Yes it was.”
Stone's real name reference made headlines after her The Curse co-star Nathan Fielder referred to Stone as Emily during a joint interview last month with The Hollywood Reporter.
Fielder set the record straight during the interview about Stone.
"Her name’s Emily, but she goes by Emma professionally," he said, adding, "So when there’s people that don’t know her, I end up saying Emma. But I’m going to just say Emily from here on."
When asked if anyone in the industry called her Emily, she replied:
"When I get to know them, people that I work with do. It’s just because my name was taken [by another actress in SAG]."
"Then I freaked out a couple of years ago. For some reason, I was like, 'I can’t do it anymore. Just call me Emily.'"
"Nathan calls me Em, which is easier."
The media outlet then asked if a fan wanting to take a selfie with Stone called her Emily, would she correct her and say, "It's Emma"?
Stone replied:
“That would be so nice. I would like to be Emily."
Stone's latest film, Kinds of Kindness, is an absurdist black comedy anthology film in which she plays three different characters.
Emma Stone has arrived at the ‘KINDS OF KINDNESS’ premiere at #Cannes2024 pic.twitter.com/FVGIV9vnTt
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 17, 2024
She's so beautiful ❤️
— Alma♕ (@AlmaDepeche) May 17, 2024
Beautiful 😻
— Verito Lu Vargas 🇵🇪 (@MsVargas) May 18, 2024
my girl 😍
— thijs (@thijsmxart) May 17, 2024
The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer.
This marks her fourth collaboration with Lanthimos, including the 2022 short Bleat.
Emma Stone and Joe Alwyn in Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘KINDS OF KINDNESS’ pic.twitter.com/ZIVVUfKJUz
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 11, 2024
Emma Stone is perfect in every way
— Ellie (@Ellie796895892) May 17, 2024
OUR MOTHER IS BACK!
— fraser (@emiiedenberg) May 17, 2024
It is scheduled for a U.S. release by Searchlight Pictures on June 21, 2024.