Emma Stone has revealed that she was initially wary of her role in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Stone, who will star in the comic book movie later this summer as Gwen Stacy, is known for her comedic roles in Easy A, Zombieland and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

In an interview with Comic-Con Annual 2012, the actress revealed that she didn’t feel she was right for the part of the scientist and love interest opposite Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker.

“I heard about Spider-Man and I didn’t think it was something I would want to be a part of. I just thought that probably isn’t right for me. Then I [auditioned with Andrew Garfield] and realized that this was a really interesting, fantastic relationship between two people and that I was being really closed-minded,” she said.

The actress, who wore her naturally blonde hair for the part, went on to discuss how her character finally changed her mind about the film: “[I] started learning more about Gwen Stacy and her history and just fell in love with the character and with the fans, too. I started reading forums and getting involved more in the comic book universe and it just became something I really wanted to be a part of, just because of all those elements.”

Bryce Dallas Howard, who played Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 and also starred alongside Emma Stone in The Help, has said Stone is perfect for the role of Stacy.

The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled for release on July 3 in the US and July 4 in the UK.

DigitalSpy.com

With its July 3rd release date quickly approaching, it wasn’t a surprise that The Amazing Spider-Man had a panel presentation at WonderCon 2012 with actress Emma Stone (aka Gwen Stacy) and director Marc Webb. This gritty and grounded take on Peter Parker’s origin story and evolution into Spider-Man is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films of the summer.

Prior to their panel presentation (read Dave’s recap here), Emma Stone and Marc Webb talked to the press about the idea that Spider-Man is bigger than any one person, honoring the iconography of the story and character while still making it their own movie, living up to fan expectations, what they’re hoping to explore with the relationship between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy, why they decided to return to the origin story, and what made Andrew Garfield the perfect Spider-Man.

Collider: Are you getting a sense of the excitement for the film, now that little pieces have gotten out?

Marc Webb: Yeah, it’s intimidating. There’s something liberating about the idea that Spider-Man is so much bigger than any one of us.

Emma Stone: Yes, absolutely! You feel like a little cog in a really big machine, which is so nice. It makes it a little bit more pressure-less. For me, it feels like they’re coming to see Spider-Man. That’s what it’s all about.

Webb: But, it’s been really fun. I think there’s a real genuine sense of enthusiasm and curiosity, which is fun. You do have to honor the iconographic elements of Spider-Man, but it’s been fun to put ourselves in it, in a different and new way.

How do you honor that iconography, but also make it your own movie?

Webb: Well, I think there are elements of Spider-Man that are just universal. He shoots webs and he soars through the sky and he’s a little guy who beats up guys that are bigger than him. He fights for the little guy. I think that’s a really important thing. For me, there were a few things in the Spider-Man comics that I thought were really interesting. There’s this story about Peter’s parents and where he came from, and I thought that it was really interesting to explore the emotional consequence of someone whose parents had left them, at a very young age. I like that this Peter Parker has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. In The Amazing Spider-Man #8, there’s this moment where Flash and Peter are going at each other. They’re at a boxing match, and you hear what Peter is saying and he’s a little surly, and I like that. There’s this attitude that’s a punk rock humor and trickster quality that probably comes from somebody who is a little distrustful of the world, at times. In order for someone like that to become a hero, I think it’s a really interesting story, and that was something that was really fun to explore. And then, of course, there’s the Gwen Stacy saga and The Lizard. What we tried to do was find something very emotionally grounded, and that felt very real. That’s a challenge, when there’s big lizards and soaring through the air, but that’s what was really fun about it.

Emma, what was fun for you, in regard to showing up for work, every day?

Stone: Well, there were fun elements, like swinging, that I’d never done, or reacting to something that’s not there, which was interesting. But, the greatest take-away was realizing that everything is so grounded in reality. It doesn’t matter how big the world is around you, or the blue screens in the background. You are doing a scene between two people, and it’s human and it’s real. That’s a comforting thing, when you’re in something that’s so seemingly daunting and it’s such a big environment. It’s nice, at the end of the day, to know that you’re just acting as you would be, in any circumstance.

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IAR’s Managing Editor Jami Philbrick speaks with director Marc Webb, and actress Emma Stone at WonderCon 2012 in Anaheim, California about the highly anticipated ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ which swings into theaters on July 3rd.

Emma Stone sure knows how to sell a movie to comic book geeks: just talk about pillow fights!

We caught up with The Amazing Spider-Man leading lady and the film’s director Marc Webb at WonderCon 2012 in Anaheim, Calif., where they revealed one of Stone’s favorite hobbies while filming the superhero flick (which hits theaters July 3), the aforementioned pillow fights. And listen up, fanboys: Stone may or may not have a special outfit she dons for the occasion!

So what did Stone have to say about the cast and crew’s pillow fights?

When asked about what the cast and crew did for fun while making the highly-anticipated film, Webb lists, “Dance party, massage circles, softball,” before Stone reveals her love for pillow fights. “The pillow fights were the best!” she enthuses.

Stone loves pillow fights so much that she apparently has a special outfit she wears! “You had the best pillow fight outfit,” Webb says. “It was unbelievable!”

Stone’s response? “Well, what can you do? I’m a lady that likes pillow fights. Who doesn’t?”

Have we mentioned how much we love her?!

While Stone avoided any talk of romance between herself and on-screen and off-screen beau Andrew Garfield, she says, “I think Andrew’s a great actor, so it was great to be his costar. It was very exciting!”

EOnline.com

“I didn’t grow up with comic books, I’m not gonna lie,” admitted “Amazing Spider-Man” star Emma Stone when I caught up with her at WonderCon over the weekend. “I really, really wish that I did, because when you come to conventions you really wanna say that you [did].”

But I was happy she didn’t, because I find it annoying when actors fabricate a “geeky” persona just to appease fanboys. And who really cares whether she grew up reading “Spider-Man” or not? It’s a ridiculous “prerequisite” to begin with! What’s important is that Stone is a good actress, and (in the estimation of many) a terrific choice for the role of Peter Parker’s high school sweetheart Gwen Stacy in the upcoming reboot.

And anyway, she did her research.

“I was learning the story of Gwen Stacy before I auditioned,” she told me. “And then once I was cast, I was like, ‘oh my god, there’s 50 years worth of stuff to get through!’”

Also stopping by for a brief chat was director Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer”), who assured us fans would be very happy with Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of the title character.

“Andrew cared so much about Peter Parker and Spider-Man that it became obvious,” said Webb. “And he’s an actor that has such emotional range – he can be deep and he can be funny.”

Emma Stone and director Marc Webb discuss the absence of Andrew Garfield at WonderCon, while promoting their new comic-based film, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man.’

“Extra” correspondent Ben Lyons spoke with “The Amazing Spider-Man” star Emma Stone and director Marc Webb at WonderCon 2012 in Anaheim, Calif.

What appealed to you about appearing in a big superhero franchise movie and taking on an iconic character such as Gwen Stacy?
When I auditioned for it, I didn’t get the full script, I only got scenes between Gwen and Peter and I screen-tested with Andrew. I heard about Spider-Man and I didn’t think it was something I would want to be a part of. I just thought that probably isn’t right for me. Then I had the scenes and realized that this was a really interesting fantastic relationship between two people and that I was being really close-minded. I liked all the Spider-Man movies and I’ve liked so many superhero movies that I don’t know why I had that kind of mentality about it. Then I went in and auditioned with Andrew and started learning more about Gwen Stacy and her history and just fell in love with the character and with the fans, too. I started reading forums and getting involved more in the comic book universe and it just became something I really wanted to be a part of, just because of all those elements.

You went from playing a literary character in The Help who was in a much beloved book with its own kind of following, to a comic book character who’s iconic and has this rabid following. Was there a big difference for you between those characters and how they’re treated by their fans?
Well of course the characters themselves are incredible different and there seems to be a different fan base between Spider-Man fans and fans of The Help. There are conventions for Spider-Man fans and there aren’t for The Help fans, although I would love to see a convention of The Help fans. It could be like the big Lebowski Fest. But they’re two tonally different worlds to me even though they both had such a rabid following. There’s a difference just in terms of bringing the material to life. There are different incarnations of Gwen Stacy and of Peter Parker throughout comic book history, all these different storylines to pull from depending on what kind of script you’re going to patch together. With The Help, it was such a distinct story that kind of needed to be matched line for line in a way. It felt different just in terms of becoming part of it and the way the material was adapted. But I’m so excited to be part of a movie with a built-in fan base in that way. You go to Comic-Con and there’s so much passion in one room. Everybody’s so passionate about these characters and how they’ve affected their own loves. It’s a really cool thing as an actor to know that you’re part of something that’s so much bigger than you. You’re not creating it from the ground up, you’re trying to fill the shoes of someone that’s been around a lot longer than you. It’s really exciting. I love that aspect of it.

Why do you think the producers and writers went with Gwen instead of Mary Jane?
Well, Gwen’s story happened before Mary Jane’s, and I think that coming back to their roots, it was interesting to explore the woman who came before Mary Jane. I think she’s such a definitive part of Peter Parker’s relationship with Mary Jane ultimately, who is literally the polar opposite in personality of Gwen Stacy. I think just building that into Pter’s life and seeing that story from the very beginning was really interesting. And of course Gwen’s story is so beautiful and important to that story of Spider-Man that I think they wanted to come from that angle at this time.

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