Emma Stone's Hiccups

As a redhead (as we've come to know her) or her natural blonde, it seems like she's everywhere these days. Whether it's ducking in and out of magazine shoots or lighting up the silver screen, Emma Stone's certainly keeping busy. Just this summer, she'll make appearances in no less than three films: Friends With Benefits, Crazy, Sexy, Love, and The Help.

For most actors, this would be highly annoying. It would not only scream overexposure but elicit responses of "Ugh...vomit", "Go away already", and "Gimme a break..."

But when it's Emma Stone we're talking about, it's hard to feel that way because she's so darn likeable. If you threw Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz in a Tilt-A-Whirl and added a touch of Scarlett Johansson's raspy voice, you'd get glimmers of Emma Stone-- laughing heartily, a little too loud and a little too long.

She's got a presence that's hard to ignore and the beauty, talent, and charisma that makes it hard to look away. In the beginning, people were calling her the next Lindsey Lohan, but she's proved far too overqualified for that. If Superbad put her on the map and Zombieland made us ask, "Where have I seen her before?," then it was Easy A that put her on the Star Map.

Her performance in Easy A showcased a surprisingly well-written script (penned by former casting director, Bert V. Royal) and orange-kissed direction by Will Gluck. Seriously, oranges. Count them.... At any rate, I can't imagine anyone else nailing that role in quite the same way she did. She owned Olive all the way. Drama Queen.

Plus, you gotta love a girl who was so passionate about performing that she put together a power-point presentation cued to Madonna's Hollywood to convince her parents to let her go to Hollywood. How could they say no?

Flashback to more than a year ago...
I'd been camped out at El Torito for hours, freezing my butt off. Shooting nights in winter (even in L.A.) sucks. In a futile attempt to stay warm, I'd been drinking tea, copious amounts of tea. Green tea, herbal tea, herbal tea, green tea. Alternating. Trying to avoid the coffee.

The redhead sitting across from me was also sipping tea (green tea), taking a break between shots. She'd been shooting a pivotal scene for her character with lots of dialogue and, on every take, she had to slug a big, sloppy gulp of water. As Hannah, she plays a law student in the soon-to-be-released Crazy, Stupid, Love (then merely called the Untitled Dan Fogelman Project.) Waiting patiently, taking it all in, she couldn't have been more polite or professional. That is, until the hiccups erupted. Eyes wide, a twinge of panic crossed her face.

"I have the hicc--" she started to say. [Hiccup] Another one.

No doubt, she'd swallowed a lot of air with those gulps of water. Most everyone was focused on the next shot. They were ready to go: Camera set, Let's roll. [Hiccup, Hiccup...] She stood up, got to her mark. Then, 1...2...3... [Action!] she held her breath and did the work, as if to say, "I'm in control. Hiccups be damned."

Unlike those hiccups, Emma Stone's here to stay. But let's face it-- that's not a bad thing.

Now, she's all brightly colored and black-and-white with all the costume changes in the July issue of ELLE magazine and Vanity Fair's August issue. Snagged the covers for both. Damn straight. [It's a rare person I can both envy and root for in equal measure.]

As for that Stella Mccartney dotted tulle blouse and the sunshine yellow Versace ostrich feather dress she got to wear in ELLE?* That I can hate her for. But it won't last. That is, unless she goes all truffle fries on us.*

* Attn: Stella Mccartney and Donatella Versace: Will accept donations of cast-off wardrobe from above-referenced photo shoot. Or if you have ready-to-wear in dire need of someone to wear it, I'm your gal.

** Truffle Fries: If I have to explain it then obviously, you need to check out ELLE's July 2011 cover story on Emma Stone.

© 2011 by KLiedle