In an interview for Elle magazine, Emma Stone spoke candidly about mental health to her close friend Jennifer Lawrence.
Emma Stone has been very open about her struggles with anxiety, which she’s had since she was a child. Now, Stone and fellow actress Jennifer Lawrence have interviewed each other for Elle magazine, in which the Hollywood BFFs spoke about struggling with anxiety and how acting can be a release.
In the interview, Lawrence asked Stone, “What do you think caused your anxiety? Do you think you were born like that, or do you think something happened that made you extremely sensitive, or do you think that you’re naturally pathetic?”
Stone, who has battled anxiety since she was seven years old, replied, “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.”
Stone has reached out to Lawrence on the phone, on what Lawrence calls Emma’s “frequent sleepless nights.” Stone’s racing thoughts have also been kicking up lately because she’ll soon be turning 30.
Stone is currently taking a break from Hollywood. “I haven’t shot anything for six months, which has been amazing because there’s been more time to be with friends or travel.”
Lawrence also pointed out that Stone doesn’t have a “big social media presence,” to which Stone replied, “I think it wouldn’t be a positive thing for me. If people can handle that sort of output and input in the social media sphere, power to them.”
While Lawrence didn’t talk about her own anxiety in her conversation with Stone, the Hunger Games star did talk about her mental health struggles to Esperanza. Like Stone, Lawrence used acting as an escape and as a way of healing her self-image.
Growing up, Lawrence felt like she was “a weirdo… I’ve always had this weird anxiety. I hated recess. Parties really stressed me out. I was having trouble at school and I had a lot of social anxieties.”
Lawrence’s parents also took her to a therapist, and like Stone, she realized performing “was the one that that [made] anxiety go away. I didn’t feel good about myself until I discovered acting and how happy it made me feel.”
