The 21st century has brought us some of the best movies to date, from Gladiator to Interstellar to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. With so many formidable actors who have uniquely contributed to this century’s cinema, it’s incredibly hard to try and rank only 60 of them. Yet that is what one outlet decided to do. With that, celebrated actress Emma Stone received a high ranking, even above stars like Christian Bale and Viola Davis. With that, fans aren’t holding back their thoughts.
Just recently, The Independent shared its 60 Best Actors of 21-Century Cinema list. The No. 1 spot was bestowed upon the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, while Emma Stone was behind him at No. 2. That not only put her above Bale (No. 14) and Davis (No. 39) but also in front of the likes of Denzel Washington (No. 4), Frances McDormand (No. 32), Joaquin Phoenix (No. 26) and more.
It shouldn’t be all that surprising that people took to social media to weigh in on the rankings. And, while some declared their love for the Cruella star, they simultaneously couldn’t accept the standings. Check out what user @LucaGuadagnegro had to say:
I’m a big fan of Emma Stone but there’s no way in hell she is the second best actor of the century by any metric… sorry girl.
Some commenters were a bit more blunt when sharing their thoughts on the matter. For instance, @sewelankoana shared a brief assessment that was particularly blunt:
The minute I saw Emma Stone as no 2, I knew the list is trash.
For the most part, people’s qualm was not in regards to Emma Stone being included on the list but rather her being placed in the second highest spot. Many X users even stated who they thought should be above the Amazing Spider-Man actress. Check out some more responses:
- Love me some Emma Stone and Florence Pugh, but i think even they agreed that to put them top 10 above Viola Davis, Amy Adams or Kate Winslet is a bit too much recent bias –@Lyta232323
- How tf is Emma Stone higher than DDL?!?!? –@davesteele71
- Emma Stone being above Isabelle HUPPERT, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett is a joke – @kalatozov
- Emma Stone?! Go home, you’re drunk. 🙄 – @Archimusik
While I don’t think we need to outright dismiss the entire list based on one ranking, I think the line of questioning is valid. It certainly is a tough decision to make, to say the least. That’s especially true when you have an actor like Christian Bale finding his stride in some of the best movies of the 2000s, with performances as Batman, Patrick Bateman and more.
Then, of course, there’s Viola Davis, who (in my opinion) is deserving of any award she is nominated for. As the list mentions, she has a knack for drawing out unmatched emotion in even the briefest scenes, like those of her characters in the films Air and Doubt. So it’s honestly hard to believe she didn’t even crack the top 30.
It’s important to emphasize that the majority of people are not questioning her talent. In my opinion, and I’d bet most people would agree that Emma Stone deserves to be on this list. Stone’s catalog of films convey her impressive range in acting, from her impeccable comedic timing in movies like Easy A and Zombieland to her ability to deliver raw emotional moments like in Birdman and The Favourite. The Battle of the Sexes actress has certainly proved she has longevity in this biz, and of course, she has two Oscars to her name. With that, she won Best Actress for La La Land and earned the same award for Poor Things.
Ultimately, no online ranking is ever going to be able to please everyone who reads it. People have inherently different tastes from one another, which The Independent even acknowledged in the intro of its list, alongside their ranking criteria: only films, not TV, released post-2000 could be taken into consideration for an actor’s spot on the list. Most likely, this is why certain celebrated actors like Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks were ranked lower on the list, having experienced their prime years in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
At the end of the day, do I think the list is perfect? No, I don’t. I have my own opinions just like everyone else. However, I respect the folks who made this list simply because it reignites healthy debate and conversation around cinema, which I love to take part in. And, of course, I also love Emma Stone, who deserves to be mentioned alongside the best actors working today.
You can stream Emma Stone’s latest film, Kinds of Kindness, which is currently streamable with a Hulu subscription. Be sure that you also keep your eyes peeled on the 2025 movie schedule, as she has films set for release on it.