Following her Best Actress win at the 2024 Oscars, The Focus has picked out 10 movies from the career of Emma Stone that you simply need to watch.
Emma Stone has joined an exclusive list of actors to have won multiple awards at the Oscars after her captivating performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things. The award comes after Stone picked up her first golden statuette for 2016’s La La Land but her career began a long way away from the Oscars red carpet.
Superbad (2007)
Where to watch: Peacock
After her career started with a handful of TV appearances, Emma Stone made her first movie appearance in the 2007 teen comedy Superbad.
The laugh-out-loud comedy follows Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan’s (Michael Cera) attempts to get booze to bring with them to a party being held by Seth’s crush, Jules (Stone), but their night goes more than a little awry as they find themselves dodging a pair of incompetent cops.
Zombieland (2009)
Where to watch: Apple TV+ (until March 31)
In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) reluctantly teams up with Woody Harrelson’s gun-toting Tallahassee and during their adventures across what’s left of America, the pair find themselves crossing paths with Stone’s Wichita and her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are far fiercer than their appearances suggest.
Easy A (2010)
Where to watch: Available to buy/rent on digital stores
Completing the trio of comedy movies that put Emma Stone on the map is Easy A in which the now-two-time Oscar winner plays a below-the-radar high school student, Olive, whose social status is turned on its head overnight as she attempts to use the school’s gossip grapevine to her advantage.
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Where to watch: Hulu
Starring alongside Emma Stone in this delightful rom-com are Steve Carell, Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling.
When Cal (Carell) and Emily’s (Moore) marriage breaks down, he turns to serial womanizer Jacob (Gosling) for help. But Jacob begins to question his life of one-night stands when he meets Hannah (Stone) whose part in the wider story is bigger than he realizes.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+
After earning growing acclaim in her early comedy roles, Emma Stone earned worldwide fame when she appeared in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel two years later.
Starring opposite Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker, Stone takes on the role of high-flying student and love interest Gwen Stacey in this retelling of Spider-Man’s origin story.
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Birdman (2014)
Where to watch: Hulu
Stone earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in 2014’s Birdman.
She featured amongst an all-star cast in which she plays the role of Sam Thomson, the daughter of Michael Keaton’s central character, Riggan, an actor famed for playing a superhero who is struggling to revive his career and get a new Broadway play off the ground.
La La Land (2016)
Where to watch: Sling
Released in 2016, the musical La La Land earned Emma Stone the first of her Best Actress Oscar wins.
She takes on the role of aspiring actress Mia who crosses paths with Ryan Gosling’s Sebastian, a jazz musician, in Los Angeles as both of them hope to earn their big break in a city that famously crushes dreams and breaks hearts.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Where to watch: Available to buy/rent on digital stores
Emma Stone took on the role of tennis legend Billie Jean King in 2017’s Battle of the Sexes where she reunited with Steve Carell who appeared as Bobby Riggs, an ex-champ in the twilight of his career.
The movie tells the story of the 1973 match between King and Riggs that became one of the most-watched sporting events of all time, while both players found themselves dealing with their own personal issues away from the court.
The Favourite (2018)
Where to watch: Hulu
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018’s The Favourite was Emma Stone’s first collaboration with the director who would later helm Poor Things.
Stone earned herself another Best Supporting Actress Nomination for her role as Abigail Hill, a young woman who climbs the ranks of the English royal court to become a high-ranking servant and close friend of Queen Anne, played by Oscar winner Olivia Colman.
Cruella (2021)
Where to watch: Disney+
And finally, we end with 2021’s Cruella, the most recent movie role of Emma Stone’s career prior to appearing in Poor Things.
Set in 1970s London, Cruella charts the rise of Cruella de Vil, with Stone in cackling good form as she transforms from the hopeful fashion designer Estella into the legendary Disney villain.
