Emma Stone Shares Her Pick for the Two Most Memorable Movie Scenes

Emma Stone has gone from starring in hits like The Amazing Spider-Man and Easy A to tackling some of the most daring and unique projects in Hollywood. In recent years, she has built a career around bold, boundary-pushing films, often collaborating with director Yorgos Lanthimos.

Their work together has produced unforgettable performances in The Favourite and Poor Things, the latter earning Stone an Oscar. Stone is incredibly versatile. She can sing and dance in musicals, La La Land made that clear in 2016, but she can also completely transform into unrecognizable characters, as seen in her latest work, Bugonia.

Her talent hasn’t gone unnoticed. At 37, she has already received seven Oscar nominations, surpassing Meryl Streep’s record as the youngest woman to reach that number. While Streep still holds the record with 21 nods, Stone’s rise highlights her sharp understanding of what makes a performance memorable.

Unsurprisingly, Stone has strong opinions about the best scenes in film history. In a recent interview, she revealed her two favorite cinematic moments, both of which she considers iconic. The first is Peter Finch’s legendary monologue in Sidney Lumet’s Network.

Finch, wearing a raincoat, storms onto the camera as his character Howard Beale unravels live on television, shouting, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Stone explained that what makes the scene so extraordinary is how Finch seems born to play that role.

“He just was that part and was clearly meant to play Howard Beale,” she said. For Stone, performances where actors fully embody their characters are inspiring. Her second pick takes audiences back even further—to the 1930s. Stone is a longtime fan of Charlie Chaplin, and she particularly loves the ending of City Lights.

She admitted in the interview that she often watches the final scene alone on YouTube and can’t help but cry. The film follows Chaplin’s Tramp as he falls in love with a blind flower seller, and the ending shows the emotional payoff when she regains her sight.

Stone said the quiet, tender exchange between the characters is “the most beautiful thing.” She is especially moved by the love in Chaplin’s eyes during that moment. These two scenes, Stone says, represent the emotional power of cinema at its best. They also set the standard for the work she strives to create.

This year, Stone has continued to shine. She led the nominations at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards in February and impressed on the red carpet in a custom Louis Vuitton gown while celebrating her Lead Actress nod for Bugonia.

Outside of acting, Stone is keeping busy with several high-profile projects. She will star in the DC Studios film Plastic Man alongside Tom Hiddleston, expected in 2027. With her production company, Fruit Tree, continuing to back daring content, Stone’s influence behind the camera is growing just as fast as her acclaim in front of it.

Have something to add? Share your thoughts in the comments.