After years in the spotlight, Emma Stone is ready to embrace her real name.
The actress, who won her second Oscar in March, recently mentioned in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that her close friends and co-stars often call her by a different name.
Stone shared this during a joint interview with her "The Curse" co-star Nathan Fielder. Early on, Fielder told THR that he would refer to Stone by her given name, Emily, during their conversation.
"Before we continue, I want to clarify something. Her name is Emily, but she goes by Emma in her career," he explained. "So when I'm with people who don't know her well, I say Emma. But from now on, I'm just going to say Emily."
Stone replied, “You can call me Emma. You can call me anything.”
She also discussed why she chose to use a stage name.
“When I got into the industry, people I worked with called me Emma because my real name was already taken by another actor in the Screen Actors Guild,” she said.
Recently, though, she decided she wants to go by her birth name.
“A couple of years ago, I had a bit of a crisis," she continued. "For some reason, I just felt like, ‘I can't do this anymore. Just call me Emily.’”
She added that her co-star Nathan Fielder calls her "Em," which is easier.
The star of “Poor Things” told the publication that if a fan came up to her and called her Emily, she wouldn't correct them.
"That would be really nice. I'd actually prefer to be called Emily," she said.
Fielder noted that he would accommodate her by using both names during their interview.
As she pointed out, the “Easy A” star has always been credited as Emma. However, her choice to change her name came long before she started landing acting roles.
During a November 2018 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Stone disclosed that her stage name was inspired by her admiration for the Spice Girls, particularly her favorite member, Emma Bunton, also known as "Baby Spice."
"I was super blonde growing up, and my real name is Emily, but I wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice. Now, that's exactly what I am," she said with a laugh.
As the audience applauded, she playfully remarked to host Jimmy Fallon, "So, that's kind of messed up."
However, she quickly clarified that her Spice Girls fandom wasn't the only reason she chose Emma as her professional name.
"It wasn't just because of her," she explained. "But yeah, in second grade, did I go up to my teacher on the first day and ask her to call me Emma? Yes, I did. And was it because of Emma Bunton from the Spice Girls? Yes, it was."
Stone has been a huge fan of the British girl group over the years and has attended their concerts multiple times.
"I saw them in concert in the '90s. I saw them at the O2 Arena in 2008, and they recently announced a new tour. I'll be there, no doubt. I don't think tickets are on sale yet, but I'll find a way," she said, referring to the 2019 reunion tour (which featured every Spice Girl except Victoria Beckham).
Later, Fallon and Stone took a Buzzfeed "Which Spice Girl Are You?" quiz, leading to a surprising result.
"I'm Posh Spice!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air when the result popped up.