Emma Stone, the celebrated Hollywood actress with two Academy Awards to her name, recently opened up about a lesser-known chapter from the early days of her career—a brief stint under a different stage name. During a candid appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 22, 2025, Stone revealed that, at just 16 years old, she adopted the name Riley Stone for a short period. The reason? Hollywood’s own rules of identity.
“I actually adopted a stage name for, I would say, like six months because the Screen Actors Guild, it’s like the Business Bureau. You can only have one person with that name,” Stone explained to Colbert, as reported by People and femalefirst.co.uk. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), which regulates professional standards for actors in the United States, does not permit two performers to use the same professional name. For Stone, born Emily Jean Stone, this meant she had to find a moniker that stood out but still felt like her own.
“I was 16, and I decided I wanted to be Riley for like six months. So, I was Riley Stone, which is a beautiful name,” she said, reflecting on her teenage decision. But the change was not as seamless as she might have hoped. Stone admitted that the name Riley never truly felt like hers, especially when she was on set. “I did an episode, like a guest part, on Malcolm in the Middle, and they kept going like, ‘Riley! Riley!’ And I had no idea who they were talking to. Truly. And I was like, ‘I cannot be Riley.’ It came out of nowhere. I was just like, ‘Cool name. I’ll just be Riley,’” she recounted, drawing laughter from Colbert and the studio audience.
The struggle to respond to a name that didn’t feel natural led to confusion and, ultimately, a change of heart. “So I then changed it to Emma because it’s close enough to Emily,” Stone told Colbert, highlighting how she sought a name that resonated more closely with her birth identity. The switch to Emma was not entirely random, either. As Stone revealed in an earlier appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, her childhood admiration for Baby Spice—whose real name is Emma Bunton—inspired her to choose Emma. “So, 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 shared on Fallon’s show, according to People.
This whimsical approach to her stage name belies the seriousness with which Hollywood treats names and branding. For many actors, their stage name becomes both their professional identity and their public persona. For Stone, the transition from Emily to Riley to Emma was more than a paperwork shuffle—it was a journey to find a name that fit her both on and off screen.
Stone’s early career saw her quickly rise through the ranks of young Hollywood. She began acting in her teenage years, landing breakthrough roles in the hit comedies Superbad and Zombieland. Her performance in Easy A cemented her status as a leading lady, and she continued to impress with roles in major films such as The Help and The Amazing Spider-Man series. Her remarkable talent and screen presence led to her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 2016 for the musical La La Land, in which she starred opposite Ryan Gosling. Stone’s career reached another high point in 2023 when she won her second Oscar for her role in Poor Things.
Despite her success as Emma Stone, the actress has occasionally expressed a longing for her real name, Emily. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stone admitted that she sometimes wishes she could revert back to Emily, her birth name. “When I get to know them, people that I work with do (call me Emily). It’s just because my name was taken (by another actress). 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,’” she said, reflecting on the confusion that can arise from having a public persona that differs from one’s private identity.
Asked whether she would correct a fan who called her Emily instead of Emma, Stone replied, “No. That would be so nice. I would like to be Emily.” This gentle wish for her original name underscores how, even for Hollywood’s brightest stars, the question of identity can be surprisingly personal and complex. According to femalefirst.co.uk, Stone’s openness about her name journey has resonated with fans who see her as relatable and down-to-earth, despite her fame.
The saga of Emma Stone’s name is not unique in the entertainment industry. Many actors have had to adopt new names due to SAG rules or to avoid confusion with established performers. Michael Keaton, for example, was born Michael Douglas but changed his name to avoid clashing with the already-famous actor. For Stone, the process was a brief but formative episode, one that left her with a name recognized around the world—but also a quiet fondness for her original identity.
Stone’s story also highlights the challenges faced by young actors navigating Hollywood’s labyrinth of rules and expectations. At just 16, she was already making professional decisions that would shape her career. The experience of being called Riley on set, only to realize she didn’t recognize herself in that name, speaks to the importance of authenticity—even in something as seemingly simple as a name.
In the end, Emma Stone’s journey from Emily to Riley to Emma is a reminder that even the most dazzling stars are shaped by the same questions of identity and belonging as everyone else. Her willingness to share these stories, with humor and honesty, adds another layer to the persona that audiences have come to love. And as she continues to light up the big screen, fans now know that behind the name Emma Stone is a journey that began with a simple wish: to find a name that truly felt like her own.
Stone’s reflections on her name are a testament to the sometimes quirky, sometimes poignant realities of life in the spotlight. Whether she’s called Emma or Emily, her talent and authenticity remain unmistakable.
