Emma Stone, Oscar winner for Despicable Me, wanted to be called by her real name. The actress adopted her current name early in her career, when she was still in the movies, but prefers her birth name whenever possible, according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The conversation takes place in the company of Nathan Fielder, Stone’s partner in the new film “The Curse” (The Curse). Fielder makes the clarification right at the beginning of the interview:
“I would like to say something. Her real name is Emily, but she goes by the name Emma professionally. That’s why when we’re with people who don’t know her, I call her Emma. But from here on out, I’ll just call you Emily.”
In response, Stone adds that she still likes to be called Emily in personal contacts. Asked if she would correct an admirer if he addressed her by her birth name, she replied in the negative:
“No, that would be very nice. I’d like to be Emily.”
In an appearance on Jimmy Fallon in the past, the actress said she adopted the name Emma as a teenager because she was a big fan of Baby Spice from the Spice Girls – the singer’s real name is Emma Bunton.
However, she told The Hollywood Reporter that Emma Stone was born partly out of necessity – when the actress signed up for membership in the US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, the name Emily Stone was already taken by a colleague of hers. According to union rules, no two members can share the same stage name. Because of this feature, dozens of actors have changed their birth names for their careers, including Michael Douglas, who had to register as Michael Keaton.
