Emma Stone's California Dreams

The Star of la la land on her own hollywood ups and downs and why she’ll always root for romance.

- 

Emma Stone has known both the pain of rejection and the thrill of connection with a worldwide audience, which is why she’s killing it as struggling actress Mia in the much-lauded movie musical La La Land. It’s her third on-screen pairing with Ryan Gosling, 36, who plays Sebastian, a pianist with ambitions of opening a jazz club in L.A. — and behind the movie’s magical song-and-dance numbers lies a touching story of love and longing that just might bring Emma, 28, her first Oscar. She talks about her passion for musicals and the persistence of Hollywood hopefuls.

What was your journey as an actress like? Was it easier than Mia’s?

I think it was just different. I moved to L.A. when I was 15 and auditioned for three years, doing guest parts on TV shows but mostly auditioning, until I got cast in my first movie, which was