Years before she won Academy Awards for La La Land and Poor Things, a teenage Emma Stone had a small but memorable role on the popular Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In the show’s final season, Stone appeared as a high school character, offering an early glimpse of the comedic talent that would define her career.
A Look at the Episode: “Lois Strikes Back”
Emma Stone guest-starred in Season 7, Episode 16 of Malcolm in the Middle, an episode titled “Lois Strikes Back”. The plot centers on Reese, one of the brothers in the Wilkerson family, who is tricked into a humiliating date as a prank by four girls from his school. Lois, the fierce family matriarch, takes it upon herself to get revenge on the girls who hurt her son.
Stone played Diane, one of the four teenagers involved in the prank. Her character is portrayed as a “mean girl” who is very attached to her collection of dolls. Lois’s retaliation against Diane is particularly creative and shocking: she cuts the heads off Diane’s beloved dolls and hangs them in her school locker. The scene where Diane discovers the vandalized dolls gave the young actress a moment to showcase a dramatic and comedic reaction.
Emma Stone’s Age and Career Stage in 2006
At the time of filming, Emma Stone was 18 years old. Born on November 6, 1988, her appearance on the sitcom in 2006 came at the very beginning of her professional career. Interestingly, she was still credited under her original stage name, Riley Stone, before she later changed it to Emma.
This guest spot was one of Stone’s earliest television roles. Just before this, she had made her TV debut in 2004 on a VH1 reality show and had a small part in an episode of Medium in 2005. Her role in Malcolm in the Middle aired in 2006, just a year before her breakout film role in the hit comedy Superbad catapulted her to wider fame.
The Significance of This Early Role
While brief, Stone’s part in Malcolm in the Middle is a notable piece of television history that shows where many major stars begin. The show itself ended in May 2006 after seven successful seasons. Stone’s appearance came toward the very end of the series’ run but has since become a fun piece of trivia for fans discovering her early work.
The role allowed her to play a high school character, a type of part she would successfully portray again soon after in Superbad (2007) and later in Easy A (2010), which was her first major leading role. It provided a platform to demonstrate her sharp comedic timing and ability to handle both humor and heightened emotion, skills that would become hallmarks of her acclaimed career.
Malcolm in the Middle is remembered not only for its own success but also for featuring future stars like Stone in its early episodes. For viewers looking to spot a young Oscar-winner in the making, the episode “Lois Strikes Back” remains the key place to find her.
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