Emma Stone says she was cast in 'The Curse' without knowing the show's plot due to a 'bad joke'
- Emma Stone said that she didn't know the plot of "The Curse" when she accepted her role in the show.
- Stone said she pretended to know when co-creator Nathan Fielder approached her.
Emma Stone said she accidentally signed on to star in "The Curse" without knowing what it was about.
Stone received a leading-actor Golden Globe nomination for her role in the show, which was named one of the best of 2023 by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Time, and the New Yorker.
In the critically acclaimed dramedy, Stone and Nathan Fielder play a newlywed couple whose lives fall apart while they film a problematic reality TV series about eco-conscious housing.
But on Tuesday's episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Stone said that her initial response to being approached about starring in the series was to joke she knew about it in detail.
Fielder, who created the show with "Uncut Gems" co-director Benny Safdie, approached her via text, saying, "Hey, do you want to do this show that Benny Safdie and I created? No Pressure," Stone told Colbert.
Stone said she accepted the role immediately. "I just wrote back within like 30 seconds, 'Yes, I love it. I love the concept. I love the character. The premise, wow,'" she recalled.
She thought Fielder would understand it was a joke since he hadn't yet given her any information about the show's plot or her character.
"I thought it would land as a joke, but it didn't apparently because he was like, 'Oh, great. OK. Sounds good. Let's get on the phone," Stone said.
Stone told Safdie and Fielder that she didn't know anything about the show during a later phone call.
"It's a good example of when a bad joke that doesn't land gets you tied into a 10-episode series," she said to Colbert. "Have you ever had a joke fall flat? You gotta just really stick it."
Stone said she was excited to do the show once Safdie and Fielder told her what it was about.
Stone is also nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars in March for her role in "Poor Things."