Similarly, Jamie Foxx’s birth name is Eric Marlon Bishop.
While many well-known individuals choose stage names they find intriguing or unforgettable, Stone’s reason for her name change was different.
Upon becoming a professional actor, joining SAG-AFTRA is a requirement for several reasons. If another member has the same registered name, a new one must be selected.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Stone’s The Curse co-star Nathan Fielder mentioned: “Before we continue, I’d like to say something.”
“Her name’s Emily, but she goes by Emma professionally.
“So when there’s people that don’t know her, I end up saying Emma. But I’m going to just say Emily from here on.”
When asked if anyone within the industry refers to her as Emily, Stone commented: “When I get to know them, people that I work with do. It’s just because my name was taken [by another actress in SAG].
“Then I freaked out a couple of years ago. For some reason, I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. Just call me Emily.’ Nathan calls me Em, which is easier.”
Asked how she would feel if a fan addressed her by her birth name on the street, she expressed that it would be ‘so nice’ to hear Emily.
“No. That would be so nice. I would like to be Emily.” Stone said.
The name ‘Emma’ was inspired by the 90s pop sensation, The Spice Girls.
In a 2018 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Stone revealed: “Growing up, I was super blonde, and my real name is Emily, but I wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice and guess what? Now I am.”
She clarified that her choice wasn’t solely due to Bunton, but admitted to asking her second-grade teacher to call her ‘Emma’ because of her admiration for the Spice Girls.
“It wasn’t necessarily because of [Bunton] but yes, in second grade, did I go up to the teacher on the first day and ask her to call me Emma? Yes I did,” she said.
And the rest is history.