Emma Stone has been the epitome of bringing different emotions to the screen with her array of performances in the film industry. Whether it is Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spider-Man, Cruella de Vil from Cruella, or Mia from La La Land, Emma Stone’s characters stay with the audience for a long, long time. Emma Stone is also the proud owner of an Oscar for her work in La La Land.
However, while a lot of people love and adore Emma Stone, there aren’t many who know that the actress does not use her real name to rule the industry. That’s right, Emma Stone is one of many celebrities who have changed their names in order to work in the entertainment industry! In fact, ‘Emma’ wasn’t even the actress’ first choice; it was ‘Riley!’
Why Emma Stone Didn’t Stick to Her First Choice
According to BuzzFeed, Emma Stone had to change her name from Emily Jean Stone as the Screen Actors Guild membership does not allow two members to register with the same name. An Australian model had already had her name registered. Thus, Emily J. Stone became Riley Stone. Well, just for a little while.
Talking to W Magazine, Stone opened up about how she realized ‘Riley’ wasn’t a perfect fit for her.
“My real name is Emily Stone, but when I started acting, the name was already taken by another actress, so I had to come up with a different one. For a 16-year-old, picking a new name is an interesting prospect, and back then I said, ‘I’m now going to be Riley Stone!’ So, for about 6 months I was called Riley. I landed a guest spot on Malcolm in the Middle and one day they were calling me, ‘Riley! Riley! Riley!’…and I had no idea who they were talking to. At that moment, I realized that I just couldn’t be Riley.”
Well, it was time for Stone to choose another name and she finally landed on one that has stuck since then! One that is closer to her real name.
How Did Emma Stone Land on Her Stage Name?
Stone added that she had the option to continue with her own name in the industry, she would simply only have to add a ‘J’ in there. However, Stone didn’t believe she could pull it off. Thus she went with the next best option – Emma.
“I had the option of Emily J. Stone and it’s kind of like Michael J. Fox…but I don’t think I could pull off the J. So then I changed it to Emma because, you know, it’s closer to Emily. But most people call me ‘M’ that know me well…But I miss Emily. I’d love to get her back.”
Apparently, the Spice Girls had a small hand in making Stone pick her new name. On The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Stone stated that ‘Emma’ was the name of her favorite Spice Girl, Baby Spice aka Emma Bunton. She added that in her childhood, all she wanted was to go by Bunton’s name.
“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.”
While the name change wasn’t exactly because of Bunton, Stone revealed she had asked her second-grade teacher to call her Emma. It looks like her childhood dream came true!
Source: W Magazine
