Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Cadenza: What drew you to play the role of Olive?

Emma Stone: First of all, it’s really rare to read a really well-written, fleshed-out, funny character that’s female, especially in a comedy, and so that’s exciting right off the bat. Then I just thought the script is so clever, and I really liked Olive’s perspective on things. She’s no damsel in distress, so I just really liked her all-around as a character.

C: You’ve had pretty major roles in a bunch of other movies, but this is your first truly starring role with your name above the title. What was the experience like to be the lead, and do you prepare for the role differently than you normally would have?

ES: I don’t know that I prepared any differently because of the size of the role. Mainly, I put more pressure on myself for sure, but I don’t think it had to do with the size of the role. I think it had more to do with just wanting to make sure that the Olive on the page came to life accurately. So the only thing I could really do to prepare was to memorize it, but other than that, it was just a daily fight to make sure that I was doing her justice all along the way because she was written so well on the page. I don’t know. It was a different experience for sure, but I don’t think it had to do with the size of it. I think it just had to do with my own self-inflicted pressure.

C: Did you have any experiences in high school that were similar to that of your character in the film, or were there any particular traits that you felt you kind of had in common with the character?

ES: Well, circumstantially, I really didn’t have anything in common with Olive, because I was home-schooled for most of high school. So I was kind of on my own for most of that experience.

As far as personality goes, I think she and I are pretty eerily similar in a lot of ways. That might be one of the reasons I responded so quickly to her when I read the script. I could kind of understand her viewpoint and where she was coming from and what it was like to have a family like that because I have really open, straight parents that we talk about everything. So I liked seeing that kind of cool relationship she had with her family. Yes, I feel like we have a lot in common personality-wise, but I did not have her high school experience.

C: The story seems to take several stereotypical teen clichés and flip-flop the roles, empowering what is usually a supporting character and making her the main protagonist. Do you think a film like “Easy A” could have been made, say, 10 years ago?

ES: A big part of it—even beyond the character roles or flipping certain stereotypes on their ear—is the speed of technology now and the digital age and text messaging and Twitter and that type of communication and her being able to not atone but explain everything that’s happened into her Webcam and having people be able to see it. So, I’m sure there could have been some differences 10 years ago that would have been similar, but to me, it feels so kind of time sensitive, the issues that we’re dealing with, so it feels like a kind of modern-times movie to me. But in terms of the characters, I would hope that those are relatively timeless.

C: There was a nice mix of young actors and veteran actors in “Easy A.” What do you think you and your fellow young actors learned from some of the older, more experienced actors throughout filming?

ES: Well, I am so grateful anytime I get to work with someone that’s been doing it for a pretty sustained period of time, someone’s been acting a large portion of their life or directing or writing or anybody involved with film. I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me, I take so much from any actor that I work with. Not take—not stealing but learning a lot from anybody that I’m working with. So, young or more experienced people, it’s kind of equal to me because everybody’s got interesting ways of approaching what they do.

Anything that I would learn from someone like Patty [Clarkson] or Stanley [Tucci] or Thomas [Haden Church] or Lisa [Kudrow] is going to be the same thing that I might learn from someone like Amanda [Bynes] or Penn [Badgley]. I’m learning all the time, and it’s like being in the master’s class all the time.

C: You’re working on an upcoming film entitled “Friends with Benefits,” and I was looking at pretty much an all-star cast of some great talented actors. Who have you been working with most and can you tell us anymore about the movie?

ES: That’s directed by Will Gluck, and he directed “Easy A.” I’m shooting a movie called “The Help” right now in Mississippi, and they’re shooting “Friends with Benefits” at the same time, so I did one scene the other night last week with Justin [Timberlake].

C: What was it like working with him?

ES: I’m only in one scene. It was so much fun. Yes, he’s hilarious. It was a really fun time. And it’s insane to shoot with Justin Timberlake on Hollywood Boulevard because pretty much every take it interrupted by “Yo, JT!” It’s not at all what I’m used to, but it was a pretty fascinating experience.

C: You’ve worked with a lot of leading men. Now you’re working with Penn Badgley in this movie. So, who’s your favorite leading man so far that you’ve worked with?

ES: I’ve been pretty lucky. It’s kind of hard to pick. You know what? I’m not going to name names, but they know who they are.

C: In the movie, you fake a sex scene, and let us say that hypothetically I would want to do that at college. What are some of the tips that you could give me?

ES: Oh, if you wanted to fake sex?

C: Yes.

ES: There are a lot of angles here. I mean it depends on what you’re going for, what kind of reaction you’re looking to create, but the yelling and the banging the wall and the jumping up and down all seems to work pretty well, in my experience. If you’re going for something more subtle, I guess you could just make some rustling sounds, like throw something against the wall once or twice. Subtle, quiet, but still—

C: I want to go big.

ES: Go big or go home, that’s what I say.

C: Can you update us on anything about a sequel to “Zombieland” at all?

ES: Oh, maybe. Why? What have you heard?

C: What I’ve read on Wikipedia is that everybody wants to do it, but that’s pretty much it.

ES: Yes. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what’s going to happen.

C: Would you be open to doing it if the sequel were green-lit?

ES: I think we all loved making that movie and would love to see what happens next, especially in 3D.

C: That would be great in 3D.

ES: We’ll have to see what happens, but it’s a pretty exciting notion.