Emma Stone Opens Up About Battle With Anxiety

Emma Stone recently opened up to the Hollywood Reporter about her anxiety. The 28-year-old actress said she was prone to debilitating shyness as a kid, adding, “It’s just the way I’m wired.” She was put into therapy at the age of 7, but what really helped was youth theater. “I think my parents saw that acting was the thing that made me fulfilled and happy.”

In 2009, at age 21, Emma started to “feel overwhelmed by the energy of Hollywood,” so she moved to NYC. But the actress still found that being a celebrity was stressful. “Losing my anonymity after Easy A, it was like being 7 years old all over again. It terrified me.”

Although Emma has gotten better at dealing with her anxiety, she still has panic attacks. The last meltdown she had was while filming Birdman in 2014. “I just got to a point where I snapped,” she said. Her anxiety triggers are being lifted in the air, horseback riding, and playing sports. She also doesn’t love talking to journalists: “Before any interview, I have to sit with myself for five minutes and breathe and get centered, because I get so nervous.”

Emma recalled being pitched La La Land by director Damien Chazelle: “My voice was gone, and I was struggling to get through [Cabaret on Broadway], and the idea of doing another musical was like, “You’ve got to be out of your mind.'” But Damien persisted, and eventually Emma signed on … and the rest is history.

Paris Jackson was interviewed by Rolling Stone:

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