Born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Stone began acting as a child, in a theater production of "The Wind in the Willows" in 2000. As a teenager, she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother and made her television debut in "In Search of the New Partridge Family" (2004), a reality show that produced only an unsold pilot. After small television roles, she made her film debut in "Superbad" (2007), and received positive media attention for her role in "Zombieland" (2009). The 2010 teen comedy "Easy A" was Stone's first leading role, earning her nominations for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. This breakthrough was followed with further success in the romantic comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (2011) and the drama "The Help" (2011).