Emma Stone on Using Fragrance to Get Into Character, and Her Latest Transformation Into Cruella de Vil
There is no detail that escapes Emma Stone when she’s preparing for a role. In fact, determining what her character smells like is one of her favorite parts of the process. “I’ve been using fragrance to help me define each character I’ve played since I was 16,” explains the Oscar-winning actress. “Even now, I can smell that scent and be taken straight back.” It’s a notion that extends off screen, too. “My sense of smell is super-strong—maybe overcompensating for my terrible eyesight?—so scent has always been the quickest sense-memory for me,” she explains. “I remember most of the time periods in my life through scent.”
Scent being an inextricable part of her everyday, it’s no wonder that Louis Vuitton continues to call upon Stone as the face of its fragrance campaigns, the latest being that of Cœur Battant. With its sensual bouquet of crisp pear, Egyptian jasmine, sweet narcissus, and musky patchouli and moss, Stone prefers to mist it on after dark. “I love wearing different scents,” she says. “[Louis Vuitton’s] Apogée is a scent I wear a lot. It has a lovely floral scent and reminds me of the South of France. I also have been into Attrape-Rêves and most recently Cœur Battant, which I put on for a night out.” And while her fragrance wardrobe is inevitably substantial given the expansive Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection, her overall beauty routine errs on the side of minimalistic. “I could probably live without beauty products, but I would be pretty sad to be without lip balm, perfume, and sunscreen because without it I’d turn into a dragon,” she says. “I have those in my bag at all times.”
Because she has sensitive skin, Stone makes a point of keeping her skin care simple; looking to single-ingredient elixirs, such as argan oil and squalene oil to nourish her porcelain complexion. In addition, getting enough shut-eye and staying hydrated are essential. “Sleep is definitely very important to me—I feel pretty crazy without it,” she admits. “And [I drink] as much water as humanly possible—turns out that caps out at about 2 to 3 liters a day and you can internally drown if you have too much. The more you know!” On the whole, Stone reserves heavy-handed transformations for the job. Case in point: Her latest role playing a young Cruella de Vil in the upcoming live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians, Cruella. “Cruella is a fantastic character to get to play because she’s larger than life,” says Stone. “It’s been a great experience to play around with her backstory and discover what makes her the woman she becomes in the story we’ve seen.” And who was she before become the dalmation-hunting fashion villain we love to hate? The sooty eyeliner, atomic red hair, and combat boots Stone’s been wearing while shooting the film point to punk rock roots. “The time period the film takes place in is the ’70s, so we‘ve had so much fun with the costumes, hair, and makeup to create her entire persona,” she says.
But of all the characters Stone’s played through the years, it was embodying Billie Jean King in 2017's Battle of the Sexes that changed and shaped her perception of beauty most of all. “That role required me to get physically strong,” she explains. “I’ve never felt more beautiful or powerful than I did when I felt strong and capable in my body. It was an incredible experience and one I take with me daily. Admittedly, I’m a hell of a lot weaker than I was then, but it reinforced the truth that beauty comes from how you feel, not how you look. People looking aesthetically pleasing, which is entirely subjective anyway, is just a bonus.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
