Actress Emma Stone -- best known for her turns in "Superbad" and "Zombieland" -- is hitting her comedic stride as the lead in the upcoming high-school flick "Easy A," playing a straight-A student who pretends to sully her reputation to gain popularity. But exactly who IS Emma Stone?
Here's an easy A to Z list of all the things you need to know about this up-and-coming star.
Emma Stone wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember. A movie aficionado as a child, she has studied her craft since an early age and took to the stage at age 11. By 16, she'd made her television debut and by 18, Emma made her first appearance on the big screen. On September 17, 2010, seven weeks before her 22nd birthday, Emma opens her first feature film in a leading role in "Easy A."
Often mistaken for a natural redhead like her mom, Emma's own hair color is actually blonde.
Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" is Emma's all-time favorite film. In awe of the silent film legend's talents, she exclaimed in Saturday Night Magazine, "He's my favorite! He wrote and produced, and starred in and cast all of his movies! Can you imagine? I get really excited when I talk about Charlie Chaplin."
Emma's dad was very influential in her decision to pursue acting, introducing her at an early age to comedy classics such as "The Jerk," starring comic Steve Martin, "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."
Emily Jean "Emma" Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona on Nov. 6, 1988. Her parents are Jeff and Krista Stone. She has a younger brother, Spencer.
Ultimately, Emma would like to become a Hollywood film producer so that she can make movies that entertain and inspire viewers as others have her.
Whether she's red-carpet ready or sporting a more natural look like her character Abby in "Paper Man," Emma's striking green eyes are always her best accessory.
H is for Hollywood or Bust
At the age of 14, Emma put together a PowerPoint presentation to convince her parents it was time to move to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. She used Madonna's "Hollywood" as the soundtrack to her "Project Hollywood 2004" exhibition.
Emma studied improv at the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, where she made her stage debut in "The Wind in the Willows." She now credits her experience in the theater's comedy troupe with helping her land her role in "Superbad."
Emma's breakthrough role was on the big screen as Jules, girlfriend the movie's lead character, Seth (Jonah Hill). In interviews supporting the release, Emma admitted that the comedy in the film, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is very much in line with her own sense of humor.
She's got a pocket full of sunshine — in the shower.
Emma confessed to People that when she has some down time, she prefers to spend it doing nothing. "I'm lazy beyond belief — my favorite thing to do when I'm not working is sit around."
In the live-action film adaptation of the comic strip "Marmaduke," Emma voiced Mazie, the long-suffering Australian Shepherd who ultimately becomes the target of Marmaduke's affection.Emma's first voice role — also a canine — was as London Tipton's dog Ivana in an episode of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."
N.Y.C. is for New York City
Since 2009, Emma has called New York City's artistically-friendly Greenwich Village neighborhood home. From her 31st floor apartment she enjoys views of both the East and Hudson Rivers. September's ASOS Magazine cover girl puts it like this, "What do I love about New York? What don't I love?! It's a true cultural hub, people from every place on earth have gathered here. You walk to different parts of the city and you feel you're walking into a different world. Coming from Arizona, where it's golf courses and spas, it's interesting to watch such a vibrant, real city."
"Easy A's" Olive is Emma's first top-billed role in a feature film.
After winning VH1's reality competition "In Search of the Partridge Family," Emma was cast as Laurie Partridge, but only a pilot of "The New Partridge Family" was shot and aired.
About zombies and their place in pop culture alongside vampires, Emma told MTV News, "The thing about zombies is they are conceivable. I don't really know vampires in a real world, if those kind of people can really exist, because they don't breathe anything. Zombies could really happen. It could be a plague or an outbreak and it's conceivable that people could turn into crazy flesh-eating monsters at any given moment. So it's almost a little scarier and vampires are a little more fantastical and fun to think about but not really think could actually happen and zombies could."
R is for Romantic Attachments
Emma has been romantically linked to co-stars Kieran Culkin ("Paper Man") and Teddy Geiger ("The Rocker.")
S.N.L. is for 'Saturday Night Live'
Forget winning Oscars — Emma's dream is to host "Saturday Night Live!" The comedic actress lists Gilda Radner among her favorite comedic performers and longs to count herself among those who have appeared on the long-running sketch comedy and variety show.
Taylor Swift is one of Emma's BFFs.Emma's roommate is her "Superbad" co-star Martha MacIsaac.Her favorite band of all time is The Beatles.She didn't get her ears pierced until age 21, then she got two in the left ear and three in the right.Emma's middle name, Jean, was her grandmother's name.She's 5'6" tall.Her zodiac sign is Scorpio.
U is for Undeniable Talent
USA Today: "What can you say about a vivacious, willowy, titian-haired gal with blue-green eyes and a wicked smile? This girl practically has star stamped on her forehead and probably elsewhere, too."Reuters: "Emma Stone seizes the moment with such self-assurance and old-fashioned brio that she elevates the game of every actor who comes within her orbit."Cinematical: "She doesn't need dirty jokes, farces or a cliché shtick to get the job done; she's just a natural."Moviehole: "The girl is crazy good in [Easy A]-Goldie Hawn in 'Private Benjamin' good, Gilda Radner good, Shelley Long in 'Cheers' good!"
After "Partridge," Emma guest-starred on a few television shows before being cast in her first series-regular role as Violet Trimble in the short-lived 2007 FOX series "Drive."
Emma and several co-stars from "The House Bunny" joined "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee on a cover of The Waitresses' "I Know What Boys Like."
X is for Xavier Prep School
Her freshman year, Emma attended the all-girl Xavier College Preparatory Catholic High School before dropping out and moving to L.A. with her mother. She was home-schooled on set and received her high school diploma at age 16.
Nominated for her role in "Superbad," Emma was named Exciting New Face at the 2008 Young Hollywood Awards. She has also been recognized as one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars by Moviefone.com, Saturday Night Magazine, Askmen.com, FHM, Maxim and LoveFilm.com.
Emma confessed to Rotten Tomatoes that during the filming of "Zombieland" she experienced some incredibly scary moments. "I had to be chased by something like 30 zombies and it was two o'clock in the morning and I was really overtired. I started getting these paranoid thoughts that one of them was really crazy. I was like, how do you know you can trust these people?! So we're running from these people and shooting at them and in my mind I'm thinking, what if one of them snaps and attacks me? I got myself into a paranoid tizzy about it."
