Online Desk: Emma Stone, renowned for her dynamic roles in Hollywood, has expressed a desire to revert to her birth name.
“That would be so nice. I’d like to be Emily,” a BBC report quotes the actress, signaling a shift towards her personal identity over her stage name.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress mentioned that she prefers people who know her well, particularly “people that I work with,” to call her Emily. Stone explained the initial change was due to her given name already being registered in her actors’ union by another member, which prompted the adoption of ‘Emma.’
Her recent reflections arose during promotional interviews for her new project, “The Curse.” Stone revealed a growing discomfort with not using her real name, stating, “For some reason, I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore.'” She shared that her co-star Nathan Fielder often calls her ‘Em’, which she finds to be a simpler compromise. “That’s a way of bridging it,” Fielder added.
Stone initially chose the name Emma inspired by her favorite Spice Girl, Emma Bunton, also known as Baby Spice.
The practice of adopting stage names due to union regulations is common in the entertainment industry. For instance, David Tennant, the former ‘Doctor Who’ star, chose his stage name from Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys after finding his real name, David McDonald, was already taken.
Similarly, Canadian musician The Weeknd modified his stage name by dropping an ‘e’ to sidestep copyright issues, and Elizabeth Banks, an American actress and director, selected her last name from a list after discovering her real name, Elizabeth Mitchell, was registered with the Screen Actors Guild.
These name changes underscore the unique challenges and personal compromises artists often face in maintaining their professional and personal identities within the Hollywood film ok industry.