Emma Stone Hilariously Corrects Director Yorgos Lanthimos at Cannes Film Festival

Emma Stone Playfully Corrects 'Kinds of Kindness' Director Yorgos Lanthimos at Cannes Over Real Name

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone were seen together at the ‘Kinds Of Kindness’ press conference before the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2024. The event was captured in a photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.

Emma Stone, who is 35 years old, prefers to be called by her given name, Emily.

She was delighted to hear her true name being used when she attended the press conference for her latest film, Kinds of Kindness, at the Festival de Cannes on Saturday, May 18.

The reporter from Kazakhstan's 98 Magazine called her "Emily," but the movie's director, Yorgos Lanthimos, corrected the journalist by saying her name is actually "Emma."

However, Stone, 31, told Lanthimos that the reporter had been correct in calling her "Emily" all along.

Emily, the Oscar-winning actress, chuckled as she expressed her gratitude, saying, "My name is Emily, thank you. Very nice." The reporter then continued with his question about Stone's performance in Kinds of Kindness, which premiered at Cannes on Friday, May 17.

Emma Stone Playfully Corrects 'Kinds of Kindness' Director Yorgos Lanthimos at Cannes Over Real Name

Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Jesse Plemons were all spotted at the glamorous ‘Kinds Of Kindness’ Red Carpet event during the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2024. It was a star-studded affair with these talented individuals gracing the event with their presence. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Stone, who collaborated with Lanthimos on Kinds of Kindness following their work on Poor Things in 2023, was originally named Emily at birth. However, she changed her name to Emma when she entered the acting industry to avoid confusion with another Emily Stone already registered with SAG-AFTRA. The name Emma was chosen as a tribute to Emma Bunton, Stone's favorite Spice Girls member.

Stone shared in a 2018 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, "When I was young, I had very blonde hair, and my real name is Emily. But I really wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice. So, now I go by Emma." She recalled a moment in second grade when she asked her teacher to call her Emma, inspired by Emma Lee Bunton from the Spice Girls.

Emma has been known as Stone throughout her professional career, but now she wants to go back to her roots.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she shared that her coworkers started calling her Emily because her name was already taken. This change happened after her The Curse costar, Nathan Fielder, mentioned that he calls her by her given name. "I freaked out a couple of years ago," she admitted.

Stone explained that she had reached a point where she felt she could no longer go by her given name. She expressed, "For some reason, I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. Just call me Emily.’ Nathan calls me Em, which is easier."

She also mentioned that if a fan mistakenly called her Emily while requesting a selfie or an autograph, she would not feel the need to correct them.

“That would be nice,” she mused. “I would like to be Emily.”

Fielder, 41, then joked that he would plan to “switch it up” between calling her Emma, Emily or Em.

Editor's P/S:

Emma Stone's recent embrace of her birth name, Emily, is a testament to the fluidity and evolution of personal identity. Having initially adopted the stage name Emma to differentiate herself in the industry, her return to her given name reflects a growing comfort with her true self. The fact that her colleagues and fans alike have begun using her preferred name speaks to the power of authenticity and the importance of embracing one's own identity.

Furthermore, Stone's experience highlights the role of our surroundings in shaping our sense of self. The confusion created by having another Emily Stone registered with SAG-AFTRA forced her to adopt a different name, while her colleagues' use of her given name has now influenced her decision to reclaim it. This underscores the interconnected nature of our identities and the ways in which they are influenced by both internal and external factors.