Emma Stone Wins Best Actress Oscar for La La Land and Vows to "Hug the Hell Out of" H…

Emma Stone won the award for Actress in a Leading Role at the 2017 Oscars Sunday for her performance in La La Land, marking the star’s first Oscar win and second nomination, and managed to be even more lovable while accepting it.

The 28-year-old star thanked her parents and brother Spencer, who was once again her award show date, as well as her friends, co-star Ryan Gosling, director Damien Chazelle and the movie’s crew.

“Ryan Gosling, thank you for making me laugh and for always raising the bar and for being the greatest partner on this crazy adventure,” she said. “To our whole crew, everyone that put their heart and souls into this film, I- I’m going to find you all individually, and I’m going to thank you. Along with my friends, who I love so much. I’m going to hug the hell out of you when the feeling re-enters my body.”

“I still have a lot of growing and learning and work to do,” she added. “And this guy is a really beautiful symbol to continue on that journey and I’m so grateful for that. So, thank you so much. Thank you.”

Stone beat fellow nominees Isabelle Huppert for Elle, Natalie Portman for Jackie, Ruth Negga for Loving and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins.

“Natalie, Isabelle, Meryl, Ruth, you are all so extraordinary and I look up to you and I admire you more than I could put into words,” Stone said. 

In La La Land, a modern musical with an old Hollywood feel, Stone and Gosling play a struggling actress and jazz musician in Los Angeles who fall in love as they try to kickstart their careers.

Earlier, Chazelle won the award for Best Director. Gosling was also nominated for his role but lost to Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea. 

Stone began her acting career as a teen, appearing in youth theater shows in her native Arizona. She dropped out of high school at age 15 to pursue acting full-time and moved with her mother to Hollywood.

She landed her breakout role at age 18, appearing in the raunchy comedy Superbad. She later nabbed parts in films such as Easy A, which earned her her first Golden Globes nomination, The Help, Crazy, Stupid, Love. and Gangster Squad. The latter two starred Gosling.