"My perspective about kids has changed as I’ve gotten older."
Emma Stone is opening up like never before to one of her famous gal pals.
The 29-year-old actress sits down with Jennifer Lawrence to talk about everything from friendship to anxiety to her desire to be a mom for Elle's September issue. When it came time for Stone to name her best friend, the La La Land actress had no qualms about singling someone out.
"I really like [Lawrence’s dog] Pippi," Stone quips, before confessing, "I love Pippi’s mom."
The friends got each other's phone numbers from their mutual pal, Woody Harrelson, and texted back and forth for a year before meeting in person. Since then, they've essentially been inseparable.
"You’ve been one of my most loyal friends for years," Stone tells Lawrence, 28. "And I think knowing that you can laugh together and that not everything has to be such a big deal."
For Stone, who'll celebrate her 30th birthday in November, friendship has only become more important as she's gotten older.
"I think friendship is pretty much everything," the Easy A star confesses. "Here’s another turning-30 thing I’ve realized: You pick your family. You realize that your friendships, the people who go with you into these next phases of your life—you’re choosing your family."
With a milestone birthday fast approaching, Stone has begun to look back on the last decade of her life with a new perspective.
"My twenties were a really interesting time, and there’s been a lot that has happened in these past 10 years, both positive and not as positive," she reveals. "It’s weird how much turning 30 crystallizes your life. Instead of just living the dreams that I had in my youth and getting to do the job that I love to do and making friends and going through all of that, it’s like, Now what do I actively want as an adult?"
One of those things Stone knows she eventually wants is marriage and babies, though she's prepared to wait until the time is right.
"My perspective about kids has changed as I’ve gotten older," she shares. "I never babysat or anything. As a teenager, I was like, 'I’m never getting married, I’m never having kids.' And then I got older and I was like, 'I really want to get married, I really want to have kids.'"
She continues, "It’s less thinking about the next 10 years and what needs to happen and just sort of relaxing into what will be instead of trying to control the outcome."
Letting go of control is a big step for Stone, who reveals that she started having panic attacks at age seven.
"Yeah, when I was seven. That’s when I started having panic attacks, which I’ve talked about pretty extensively," she says. "I think your wiring is just kind of what you are. My mom always says that I was born with my nerves outside of my body. But I’m lucky for the anxiety, because it also makes me high-energy."
After her panic attacks started, Stone -- who also shared that she's "sensitive on a level that's problematic" -- found solace in acting.
"I started acting in youth theater when I was 11. But it’s weird when it becomes your job," she explains. "And then there are other parts of it, like sitting here with the tape recorder in between us, that aren’t things that you think about when you’re a kid and it’s just like, 'This is a safe, great place to feel a lot.'"
Despite her years in the industry, Stone still finds a lot of things weird about her job.
"I don’t like the idea that anybody thinks that this is, like, special. There’s nothing to complain about. The fact that anyone could think that [fame] is true or special," Stone tells Lawrence, "... My job is fun and it’s wonderful and it can be hard, but it’s also like, But how hard can it be? You know what I mean? There are really hard jobs in the world, like really hard, and everyone is being so nice to me and bringing me a coffee. Like, calm down. Are you serious?"
Here's more on Stone and Lawrence's friendship:
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