Actress Emma Stone has been gracing our screens since the mid-2000s, starting her career in popular comedies such as Superbad, The Rocker, The House Bunny, and Zombieland. The Arizona native soon became known for her charismatic quirkiness and in 2011, she received one of her first major award nominations for her starring role in the 2010 comedy Easy A — a Golden Globe. In the movie, Stone plays a high schooler named Olive who lies about losing her virginity and is forced to own her new reputation.
In the years since, Stone has become a household name, one that critics and award voters love. As she's taken on more complex roles and worked with acclaimed directors like Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Damien Chazelle, she's been viewed as a serious actress. But that doesn't mean she doesn't still have her comedic strengths. At this year's Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, Stone is nominated for an impressive two awards — one for her starring role as Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things and another for her supporting role alongside Nathan Fielder in the dark comedy series The Curse.
As a big fan of both titles, I can confidently say that Stone continues to prove her versatility and much-deserved place in Hollywood with every role she takes on. Ahead of the Globes this evening, let's look back at every role that landed her a nomination at the prestigious ceremony.
How many times has Emma Stone been nominated for a Golden Globe?
Stone has been nominated for eight Golden Globes in her career, starting in 2011 for her role in Easy A. She's won one. Additionally, the actress has been nominated for three Academy Awards, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, five Critics Choice Awards, one Film Independent Spirit Award, and others. Taking it back over a decade ago, we journey through her Golden Globes history here!
1. 2011: Nominated for Easy A
Directed by Will Gluck, Easy A was released in 2010 and became a staple in teen comedies of that decade. It was for my friends and I, at least. Stone plays protagonist Olive, who decides to make up a story about losing her virginity to her best friend. But when one of the popular girls at school overhears their conversation and spreads the story around, Olive is faced with a predicament she never could've imagined.
Easy A is a standout in the genre because of Stone's performance, witty writing, and overall self-awareness. Her portrayal earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for the 2011 ceremony, which she lost to Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right.
Stone was also nominated alongside Anne Hathaway for Love & Other Drugs, Angelina Jolie for The Tourist, and Julianne Moore for The Kids Are All Right.
2. 2015: Nominated for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
One of my favorite movies in Stone's filmography is Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The 2014 dark comedy follows a washed-up movie star, played by Michael Keaton, who tries to get his career back on track by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway play. As he tries to get the production ready, he deals with a difficult star, family issues, and his own self-doubt.
Stone plays the protagonist's daughter Sam, a recovering drug addict. Birdman is impactful for a variety of reasons, including strong performances, unique filmmaking, and thought-provoking writing. The movie is filmed as a series of long takes, following the characters around the theater as they confront their issues.
Stone earned her second Golden Globe nomination for Birdman in 2015 for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. She was up against Jessica Chastain for A Most Violent Year, Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game, Meryl Streep for Into the Woods, and Patricia Arquette for Boyhood, the latter of whom won the award.
3. 2017: Won for La La Land
And the Golden Globe goes to... Emma Stone! The actress won the award in 2017 for her role in Damien Chazelle's La La Land. The romantic musical serves as a homage to classic Hollywood films, following an aspiring actress named Mia and a jazz pianist named Seb (Ryan Gosling) as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. The two characters meet and fall in love, but with many things in life, their romance is far from easy.
As Mia and Seb struggle to balance their relationship with their career aspirations, La La Land captures the magic of the Golden Age of Cinema with its cinematography and music. Any fan of classic films or musicals would at least appreciate this movie.
At the 2017 Golden Globes, Stone competed against Annette Bening for 20th Century Women, Lily Collins for Rules Don't Apply, Hailee Steinfeld for The Edge of Seventeen, and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Gosling ended up winning the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Globes and La La Land won for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. At the time of this writing, this is Stone's only Golden Globe win.
4. 2018: Nominated for Battle of the Sexes
Just a year later, Stone was back in the nominations at the Golden Globes. This time, it was for her role as real-life tennis champ Billie Jean King in Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's Battle of the Sexes. The 2017 sports movie co-stars Steve Carell as fellow real-life tennis pro Bobby Riggs.
Covering the pair's historic 1973 tennis match, Battle of the Sexes highlights King's determination to prove herself as a woman, as well as her work towards gender equality and better pay for female athletes. Both Stone and Carell's performances were applauded, and both actors received Golden Globe nominations.
At the 2018 ceremony, Stone was up against Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird, Judi Dench for Victoria & Abdul, Helen Mirren for The Leisure Seeker, and Margot Robbie for I, Tonya in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. She lost to Ronan, while Carell lost to James Franco for The Disaster Artist in his category.
5. 2019: Nominated for The Favourite
One year after her nomination for Battle of the Sexes, Stone returned to the Golden Globes in 2019, nominated for her performance in The Favourite. The 2018 historical black comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos follows Queen Anne's court in 18th-century Great Britain, particularly the dynamic between cousins Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail Masham (Stone) and their power struggle.
If you know Lanthimos as a director, it won't be hard to believe that The Favourite is incredibly quirky and strange in the most thought-provoking and entertaining ways.
The Favourite was, coincidentally, a major favorite during awards season, with Stone, Weisz, and Olivia Colman receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Colman won both awards. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Globes and Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Ultimately, the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 2019 Golden Globes did not go to Stone or Weisz but rather to Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk. Amy Adams was also nominated for Vice, as was Claire Foy for First Man.
6. 2022: Nominated for Cruella
Taking on another prominent figure, Stone portrayed the famous Disney villain Cruella in the Craig Gillespie live-action movie that came out in 2021. The family-friendly dramedy serves as an origin story for the titular character living in 1970s London.
I'm not a big Disney person so admittedly I wasn't too interested in watching Cruella when it came out, but it got mostly positive reviews from critics and earned Stone yet another Golden Globe nomination. Up for the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Stone competed against Rachel Zegler for West Side Story (who won), Marion Cotillard for Annette, Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza, and Jennifer Lawrence for Don't Look Up.
Stone is set to reprise her role as the classic 101 Dalmatians villain in a sequel, and she recently told Variety that she hopes filming will begin "sooner rather than later."
7. 2024: Nominated for The Curse
The Curse is without a doubt one of my favorite shows of 2023, even though the finale hasn't even aired yet.
The satirical black comedy created by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie follows a married couple wanting to star in their own home improvement show. The only problem? The people they're trying to help don't want it. The two characters Whitney (Stone) and Asher (Fielder) travel to Española, New Mexico to set up shop, but it doesn't take long for the residents to see them as trying to gentrify their town.
If you know Fielder's humor, you won't be surprised to hear that The Curse is painfully cringe-worthy, ridiculous, and very memorable. It's so hilarious and unpredictable and so easy to binge. The finale is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on Friday, Jan. 12, with the linear premiere on Showtime airing that Sunday night, Jan. 14.
Stone is nominated at this year's Golden Globes for the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama award (how is The Curse a drama?!) and she's up against Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us, Helen Mirren for 1923, Imelda Staunton for The Crown, Keri Russell for The Diplomat, and Sarah Snook for Succession. As much as I love Stone in this show, I do hope the award goes to Ramsey or Snook.
Now for the other award Stone is up for at this year's show, on the other hand...
8. 2024: Nominated for Poor Things
Poor Things is in my top five favorite movies of 2023 and I desperately want to see it again! Many are calling this director Yorgos Lanthimos' best work to date, and I definitely think it's Stone's best performance yet. In the fantastical dark comedy, Stone portrays a woman named Bella Baxter who, at the start of the film, has the mind of a child. The movie follows her epic journey of self-discovery as she leaves home to explore the world.
The movie is beautifully strange, inspiring, and even disturbing at times, and overall incredibly engrossing. Alongside Stone are fantastic actors Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Kathryn Hunter, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott, who also give strong performances.
At the 2024 Golden Globes, Stone is nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, competing against Alma Pöysti for Fallen Leaves, Fantasia Barrino for The Color Purple, Jennifer Lawrence for No Hard Feelings, Natalie Portman for May December, and Margot Robbie for Barbie. It's a really solid category this year, and I think it'll come down to Stone and Robbie.
Although Barbie is my favorite movie of 2023, I still think Stone deserves this award.
As mentioned, along with Stone's Golden Globe nominations over the years, she's also been nominated for Academy Awards and has won one. She should be getting another Academy Award this year for Poor Things, and I hope she wins it!
Emma Stone's Academy Award nominations
- 2015: Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
- 2017: Winner for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for La La Land
- 2019: Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for The Favourite
What is your favorite Emma Stone performance?