Oscar-Winner Emma Stone On Cruella de Vil
Emma Stone is Cruella…
Who knew?
Emma Stone, who seems the ultimate Hollywood star, is from Arizona. Not sure why that boggles my mind, but it does. And it underlines just how difficult it is to get from “here” to “there.”
Emma Stone in ‘Cruella’ | Credit: Laurie Sparham/Disney
A Terrific Bit of Journalism
Bill Goodykoontz (who now has the lead for best name ever) explained Stone’s rise as, “Stone was born in Scottsdale, performed in several Valley Youth Theatre productions, moved to LA, starred in a lot of movies and won an Oscar.”
He jokingly added that his description was a “truncated version” of her career, which is “wildly successful.”
Image: Disney
But Stone, as written by Goodykoontz (it just makes you smile, no?), comes across as an incredibly thoughtful actor.
In fact, listening to Stone talk about Cruella, one gets the idea that she understands where the villain could be coming from (besides the whole killing Dalmations thing).
A Complex Woman
Image: Disney
“I thought it was kind of a very complex woman to play, whether it was Cruella de Vil or not. It was a fun one to try my hand at.
“She’s terrifying,” added Stone, who explained, “I think one of the reasons why I liked it so much was because it sort of was like, instead of nature turning into nurture, it was nurture turning into nature. This was who she’d been from the beginning and who she was suppressing throughout her childhood…”
Image: Disney
However, at least in the telling, there’s something that Stone, herself, can’t suppress from her childhood in AZ.
How To Be a Pro
Image: Disney
Speaking of how her time at Valley Youth Theatre taught her to be a pro.
“If you treat people with respect, if you trust that they can handle it, it really does teach them how to do it…”
Image: J. ALMASI, GETTY IMAGES
A good “life lesson” that has served Stone well thus far.
Let’s hope it serves Cruella well, too.
Photo: Twitter/@DisneyStudios
Be sure to read Goodykoontz’s excellent piece on Emma Stone in the Arizona Republic. Then go see Cruella on May 27.
Feature Image: Disney
