Awards season is just getting started, butEmma Stonehas just emerged as an early favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Actress. She has once again paired withRyan Goslingin the musicalLa La Land, which played recently at the Venice Film Festival. The movie was received incredibly well, andStonetook home the best actress prize at the festival, making her an early Academy Awards favorite.
Stoneplays Mia inLa La Land, anaspiring actressand playwright who is in love with old movie stars, but lives in modern day Los Angeles. The movie recently made its debut in North America at the Telluride International Film Festival where it also received a ton of praise.Varietycaught up withStoneat Telluride and she discussed the role of Mia a bit. Here is what she had to say.
“I definitely understood the feeling ofmoving to Los Angelesand having a dream to be an actor in films and to get to be a part of things that I loved and inspire people in some way. It’s pretty insane that we’re talking about this movie and it’s something that I’m so proud and excited to be a part of, when that is the goal of the character, is to be a part of something like this.”
Stonehas been a major star for nearly a decade now, but in recent years she has been flirting more with roles that have generated some awards recognition. In 2015 she garnered an Oscar nomination for her role inBirdman, which went on to win Best Picture. It certainly doesn’t hurt thatLa La Landwas directed byDamien Chazelle, who also directedWhiplash, which also received a ton of critical praise and earnedJ.K. SimmonsaBest Supporting Actor Oscarfor his work in the movie. The pairing of music and talented actors seems to be a winning combination forChazelle.
Speaking of winning pairs, this is far from the first time thatEmma StoneandRyan Goslinghave been paired with one another in a movie. The pair also worked together in the romantic comedyCrazy Stupid Love, as well as the very forgettableGangster Squad, where they were one of the only bright spots. It looks like the coupling ofStoneandGoslingis finally paying off in a big way, though, becauseLa La Landis sure to be all over everyone’s radar this Oscar season.
Winning the Coppa Volpi, as the best actress prize is known at Venice, has been a very good indicator of scoring an Oscar nomination in recent years. BothJoaquin PhoenixandPhilip Seymour Hoffmanearned nominations after winning the award for their work inThe Master. Others who have done the same includeColin FirthforA Single Man,Helen MirrenforThe Queen,Cate BlanchettforI’m Not There,Julianne MooreforFar From Heaven,Javier BardemforBefore Night FallsandDavid StrathairnforGood Night, and Good Luck.La La Landis set to hit theaters in limited release on December 2.
