‘Eddington’ Star Emma Stone Reveals the Actress She’s Always Considered Completely “Untouchable”

Every actor tends to carry at least one figure they quietly measure themselves against, a performer whose career feels almost impossibly complete. For someone as versatile as Emma Stone, who’s moved effortlessly between razor-sharp comedy and searing drama for nearly two decades, finding that kind of role model isn’t exactly simple.

Stone has built a reputation for excelling in both genres simultaneously, earning acclaim for everything from ‘Superbad’ and ‘Easy A’ to ‘La La Land,’ ‘The Favourite,’ and ‘Poor Things.’ Throughout that journey, she’s spoken often about the people who shaped her approach to the craft, but one name has consistently stood above the rest.

That actress is Diane Keaton, whom Stone first named all the way back in 2009 as the performer whose career she would most want to have. “She can do anything,” Stone said in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes at the time. “Everyone references Meryl Streep and Meryl’s untouchable — but Diane’s really untouchable too.”

What makes the admiration especially striking is that Stone and Keaton never actually appeared in a film together. Their paths did cross professionally at one point, sitting down for a joint cover feature in Interview Magazine back in 2015, giving Stone the rare chance to connect directly with the actress she’d long considered a personal hero.

Keaton, who began her career on stage before landing her breakout film role in 1969’s ‘Play It Again, Sam’ opposite Woody Allen, went on to build a decades-spanning body of work spanning both comedy and drama, from ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘Father of the Bride’ to ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Reds,’ and ‘Marvin’s Room.’ Her Oscar-winning turn in ‘Annie Hall’ in particular has remained one of the definitive examples of her range, a role written specifically with her in mind.

That admiration only intensified following Keaton’s death on October 11, 2025, at age 79 due to pneumonia. Speaking with W Magazine for its Best Performances Issue 2026, Stone became visibly emotional discussing the loss, describing just how deeply Keaton had shaped her understanding of authenticity as a performer.

“She will always be my North Star, ultimate hero, because she taught me about not wanting to emulate anyone else, including her,” Stone said in comments to W Magazine. “She taught me how valuable it is to the world to realize who you are and what you can contribute.”

Stone went on to praise Keaton’s influence far beyond her performances alone, pointing to her work as a director, photographer, and even her ventures into winemaking and curating coffee table books as proof of how singularly herself Keaton remained throughout her entire life. According to Stone, that fearless individuality, more than any specific role, is what ultimately made Keaton’s example so valuable.

“In so many facets, not just as the brilliant actor that she was, but as a director, photographer, curator of coffee table books, a person who made wines — she was just so herself,” Stone continued. “She’s the person who really made me realize that the most valuable thing you can be is yourself, authentically. She was the best ever.”

Nearly two decades after first naming Keaton as her ultimate inspiration, Stone’s reflection on that admiration feels like a fitting tribute to a relationship built entirely on mutual respect rather than shared screen time. For Stone, Keaton’s legacy clearly extends far beyond individual performances, representing something closer to a blueprint for how to remain genuinely oneself within an industry that often rewards imitation.

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