The Verge: Emma Stone

Do you think of yourself in that more "intense" mold -- what I guess they call "physical" actors?

Oh, no. Oh, no no no. I don't think anyone who's worked with me would categorize me as intense or very physical.

Despite this?

Well, here's the thing: I'll do it. I'm not what I'd consider "game." I'm not one of those "F*ck yeah, let's do it!" types. I'm not one of those crazy-Method-intense, should-be-on-crack-but-are-weaning, decide-to-whittle-a-toothbrush-out-of-a-pencil actors. I'll do it. But I tore all my muscles on Zombieland, you know? Running! Then I jump into the ocean, and I have to have paramedics come at the end of the day -- even though I'm like, "Come on, relax."

A lot of actors wouldn't even get to that point.

Really? I don't know.

They'd do it twice and then cheat the rest.

Well, there were definitely times when we cheated. In the close-up shots, I stayed in the water and a little bit further out. I did throw myself in six times, but it was for different reasons. Anyway, it was fun! It was good. It was interesting. It was all of those adjectives. But it was the thing I was most scared to do when I read the script. I thought, "Oh my God -- I'm going to throw myself into the ocean in Montauk in winter."

But then there's also a long, tearful monologue that's intense in a totally different way.

That scene, to this day, is... And I say this as a good thing, so I'm going to hope for this more in the future: I can't remember doing that scene. I can't recall it. I remember being there, I remember before it and after it, but I don't remember the process. It was one shot, and it was the first take they used. So that entire monologue, I don't remember doing it. When I saw it, I thought, "Ah, well, I guess that's how it turned out!" But I can tell you that any emotion there was completely real, and that scene was completely cathartic in my life.

How so?

In ways that I don't even want to go into because they're not my place to talk about. But it was an incredibly tough night for a lot of people, and it came together at that time for a reason -- for that scene to happen.

That's kind of paradoxical: When you say "cathartic," it suggests you've gone through a place to which you won't need to return. Would you avoid that specific emotion going forward?

Yeah, because there have been times when I've had to draw up something, and I always feel like the way to get to that place is to draw up a hypothetical situation. There's so much guilt associated with that. Imagine sitting here and imagining horrible things happening to those you love, and the guilt that follows really intensely from imagining those things. In that instance, there was no hypothetical. And so it was something I've never experienced before and hopefully won't have to experience again. But at the same time, I'm so grateful that that scene and this character took place at this time in my life. There's nothing like it. That's why this movie is so dear to me, because it's like... watching your diary or something. I've never had an experience like that before. Then again, zombies have never taken over the plant, so that's cathartic in a totally different way.

What's the catharsis of Marmaduke?

The catharsis of Marmaduke -- thank you for asking! -- is when dogs dance at the end. [Laughs] That movie will be fun.

Why did you want to do a Marmaduke movie?

Because I got to do voice, which I've never gotten to do before. They come in and film your face, and they make the dog's face move to your face. And I was like, "Who doesn't want to be a talking dog, my friends? Ladies and gents?" Doing voiceover is the most fun and easiest job in the world. Ask any actor who's doing voiceover movies. Why the hell not? That's all I have to say. If they're going to let you do it? F*ck. Yeah.

I should get in on that.

Seriously -- get in on that. You can go in in your pajamas.

Really?

OK, I didn't actually go in my pajamas. But you know what I mean: No hair, no makeup, no anything. You just get to have fun.

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