Even amidst the glitz and glamour of the silver screen, the names people have come to adore aren’t always as genuine as they seem. For actors like Emma Stone and Michael Keaton, adopting stage names was a strategic move, whether to avoid confusion or create a memorable persona. However, Emma Stone recently revealed a surprising truth. Despite the fame attached to her moniker, she’s grown tired of being referred to as “Emma.”
Emma Stone Is No Longer Fond of Her Stage Name!
Before Emma Stone dazzled audiences on the big screen, she faced the challenge of sharing a name with another star in the entertainment industry called Emily. Thus, she opted for a stage name to stand out. Initially, Stone embraced her new identity with enthusiasm, rather eager to get rid of her original name.
However, as time passed, she found a surprising sense of comfort in her original name, Emily. In a candid moment on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show, she shared that her childhood admiration for Baby Spice, also named Emma, initially inspired her choice.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Emma Stone, alongside her co-star Nathan Fielder from The Curse, found themselves engaged in an unexpected conversation. Fielder playfully introduced the idea of calling Stone “Emily,” sparking a lively discussion. When asked whether the name “Emily” was still in use, Stone offered her response. She explained,
“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.”
Now that a significant time has passed, she further down the interview, said, “I would like to be Emily.” She added that she wouldn’t mind if fans adopted the change. Regardless of whether she’s referred to as Emma or Emily, her acting talent remains boundless, continuously drawing in new admirers.
The Real Reason Michael Keaton Changed His Name Before Entering the Spotlight
It’s often a surprising revelation that the beloved figures people admire by one name in reality go by another. Brad Pitt, originally William Bradley Pitt, and Miley Cyrus, born Destiny Hope Cyrus, are just a couple of examples. Then there’s Reese Witherspoon, whose birth name is Laura Jeanne. Even the iconic Michael Keaton started out as Michael Douglas.
But it turns out there is a lot of Michael Douglas running around in the showbiz. Thus, he opted for a change. Yet, despite adopting a stage name, he’s never undergone a legal name alteration. Nonetheless, his chosen moniker has become inseparable from his identity in the hearts of fans everywhere.
During a 2017 interview with Stephen Colbert, Keaton revealed that he essentially chose his stage name on a whim.
“I was in the K’s in the alphabet,–I thought, ‘It’s close enough.’ You know, ‘How ’bout this? … Phew! One of those moments.–I’m proud of my name,I’m trying to kind of ease it back in”
In a 2015 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he explained how the process went down,
“For awhile I considered calling myself Michael Murtaugh because I admired [baseball player] Danny Murtaugh so much–But I thought that sounded almost contrived. And then I considered Keats, but that sounded pretentious. I was in the K’s in the phone book when I thought of Keaton.”
While the name Keaton has undoubtedly brought him immense fame beyond imagination, it’s his body of work that has etched a permanent place in people’s hearts. Therefore, regardless of the name he chooses to go by, he will always remain a fan favorite.
