"The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Cruella" actress has always been pretty open about her failures along with her successes, and as a former child actor, she's certainly had some memorable bombs. But the actress spoke out about a specific rejection from a network tv show that hurt. This is the sci-fi show rejection that devastated Emma Stone.
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00:00Emma Stone has quickly become one of Hollywood's most recognizable faces.
00:05But before she was a household name and an Oscar-winning actress, she was passed over
00:09for a role that really made her question her future in show business.
00:13Nearly every Hollywood success story also has a Hollywood rejection story.
00:18Before Tom Holland was Spider-Man, he bombed an audition for the role of Finn in Star Wars
00:22The Force Awakens.
00:24Before Tom Hiddleston became a star, he tried out for Orlando Bloom's part in Pirates of
00:28the Caribbean.
00:29Emma Stone missed out on a major role before hitting it big, too, though she says she ended
00:34up right where she needed to be.
00:42The Amazing Spider-Man and The Favorite actress has always been pretty frank about her failures
00:47along with her successes.
00:49And as a former child actor, she's certainly had a few memorable bombs.
00:53She once shared a story with Jimmy Fallon about losing out on a part for the Nickelodeon
00:56sketch comedy series All That.
00:59Despite making up a possessed babysitter character on the spot, but the actress has
01:03also gone on the record about a rejection for a breakout role on a network TV series
01:07that really hurt.
01:09Heroes was tough, the actress told The Independent in 2013, referencing the much-hyped NBC series
01:15about everyday people who suddenly develop superpowers.
01:18The actress went out for the role of Claire Bennett, the Texas cheerleader and girl next
01:22door who woke up one day with the ability to regenerate almost instantly from any injury.
01:27The show had a large ensemble cast, but Claire was often the face of it, as the slogan,
01:32Save the cheerleader, save the world, caught on briefly when the show premiered in 2006.
01:38The role of Claire would end up going to Hayden Panettiere, and Emma Stone found out in the
01:42most awkward and disheartening way possible.
01:44Apparently, the team behind the superhero series gave Panettiere the good news moments
01:49before seeing Stone for her audition, meaning the process was very clearly just a formality.
01:54She told The Independent,
02:19The actress recalled thinking following the audition,
02:24Is it never going to be my time?
02:26Stone told The Independent that despite the low moment, she never considered quitting acting.
02:55In it, people all over the world started exhibiting strange powers they used for good, evil, and
03:01sometimes random purposes.
03:03Among them was the cheerful Japanese office worker Hiro, who could manipulate space and
03:08time, and an angsty hospice nurse Peter, whose mysterious abilities were key to the show's
03:13epic and exciting first season plot.
03:16Despite the show's impressive ratings, which continued into its less well-received second
03:21Heroes never quite reached the creative highs of its first arc again, although it undoubtedly
03:26helped boost the careers of its stars, and even featured a breakout turn from Zachary
03:30Quinto.
03:31The show's plot became more baffling with each passing season, and it finally bowed
03:35out after four years on the air.
03:37The show also briefly returned for a limited series titled Heroes Reborn in 2015.
03:42Stone's disappointing audition story has a happy ending, however.
03:46Two weeks later, I got Superbad, my first movie, and that changed my entire life.
03:50The actress played teen party host Jules in the raunchy Judd Apatow comedy.
03:54Then, shortly after that, she went on to star in a teen comedy of her own.
03:58Easy A, a clever riff on The Scarlet Letter, saw Stone garner acclaim as a high schooler
04:03owning her bad reputation.
04:05If Stone had gotten the Heroes role, there's a chance she may not have had time to take
04:09either of these roles, or her equally great turn in Zombieland.
04:13Everything clearly worked out well for Stone.
04:15She's since won an Oscar for her role in La La Land, and starred in Disney's 2021
04:20film Cruella.