Emma Stone Shares Her Sweet Hack for Getting Into Character (She's Been Doing It Since She Was 16)
Disney’s Cruella is set for a release date of May 28, 2021 — so it’s going to be quite a while before we get to see Emma Stone truly embrace her role of Cruella de Vil in the flick. But, what we do know is how Stone got into character — and we know that it’s the same unique strategy she’s been using to prepare for roles since she was just 16 years old.
“I’ve been using fragrance to help me define each character I’ve played since I was 16,” Stone told Vogue in a recent interview. “Even now, I can smell that scent and be taken straight back.”
In the upcoming live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians, Cruella, Stone really enjoyed the transformation process. “Cruella is a fantastic character to get to play because she’s larger than life,” says Stone. “It’s been a great experience to play around with her backstory and discover what makes her the woman she becomes in the story we’ve seen.”
And in 2017 Stone underwent another transformation becoming the iconic Billie Jean King, for Battle of the Sexes, whom she says really changed her perception of beauty. “That role required me to get physically strong,” she explains. “I’ve never felt more beautiful or powerful than I did when I felt strong and capable in my body. It was an incredible experience and one I take with me daily. Admittedly, I’m a hell of a lot weaker than I was then, but it reinforced the truth that beauty comes from how you feel, not how you look.”
Amen.