With Emma Stone’s perfect live-action portrayal of classic Disney villain Cruella de Vil coming up in the origin story film Cruella, she recently reflected on a moment in her career that she holds dear. That is, of course, that special time in 2017 when she won an Oscar for her performance in La La Land. It’s not just the award that has the moment stamped in her mind, though, because the fact that one of her teenage crushes and idols, Leonardo DiCaprio, handed her the gold statue on stage sure made it an even more special occasion. Stone recently reflected on what receiving one of the most prized awards in Hollywood from one of the most valued actors of our time was like.
Emma Stone explained just how deep her love for Leonardo DiCaprio during an interview with SiriusXM, in which she vividly reflected on winning her 2017 Oscar. When asked what she remembers about winning the Oscar, her answer is all about DiCaprio and how her mind was all on walking towards him as he stood on the stage. Here it is in Stone's own words:
That was what was going through my mind. And I was like, I'd seen Titanic seven and a half times in theaters. He was the love of my life. I had a picture of him in my bedroom that was signed, that I had gotten for my birthday when I was like 12 years old. And I was walking to Leo and I was like, ‘This is officially the most surreal moment of my life.’ I could not believe it. I think he probably thinks I'm like a little weird, cause whenever I see him, I'm kind of like, 'Hey, how's it going?' You know, just in little moments either at the same event or something. He's very sweet though. But that was truly, that was what was the craziest experience was the fact that it was him.
Me too, Emma Stone, me too. Okay, so my picture of Leo wasn’t signed or anything, so her fan status may dominate mine just a little bit. Stone’s childhood appreciation for Leonardo DiCaprio apparently has bled over into her adult professional life because, in the same interview, she says that she finds him fantastic as a fellow actor. This is what the Easy A actress says, in her own words:
It was the fact that it was someone that I had grown up watching and that I admired so much. And like as an actor, I think he's fantastic. And I'd watched him in everything. And then that moment where it's kind of such a surreal moment as an actor anyway, so it just compounded it. And I don't know, it still feels like it didn't really occur because it was him there.
Emma Stone sure has come a long way from being the 12-year-old girl with young (now, not-so-young) Leonardo DiCaprio pictures all over her room. The young actress is, of course, an Oscar winner and has appeared alongside many other big names in the industry. Maybe we’ll see her alongside the Titanic star in the coming years but, for now, we can see her transform into the 101 Dalmatians villain at the end of this week when Cruella is released to theaters and Disney+ on May 28th.
