Here is a great example of a single film that encapsulated two radically different trajectories of Hollywood stardom; the breakthrough of one starlet destined for fame, the downfall of another destined for infamy.
Film: Easy A
Release date: September 17, 2010
Emma Stone (21) played Olive Penderghast, considered her breakout Hollywood role by film critics.
Amanda Bynes (24) played her nemesis Marianne Bryant, appearing in her final Hollywood role before destroying her career.
The story of Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, drawn into stardom at a young age. She landed her first commercial at 7, and debuted on Nickelodeon’s TV series All That at the age of 10. Bynes quickly found steady work in the business, appearing in six different television series by the age of 14.
(Amanda Bynes on the show All That at the age of 10)
At 15, Bynes made her big-screen debut as Kaylee in Big Fat Liar (2002). In less than five years, she landed starring roles in seven Hollywood films, winning six awards and numerous nominations. Bynes became one of the most sought after young actresses in Hollywood.
Back in 2002, at 16, she started smoking marijuana. Ignoring the lessons of so many fallen child actors before her, self control went out the window and she became the cliche young Hollywood drug addict, eventually abusing much harder substances like ecstasy and cocaine. Hollywood is admittedly a tough and stressful business. Some can handle it, others cannot.
By 2008, at age 22, despite tremendous success, Bynes admitted her frustration during an interview. She was tired of being typecast in cute roles and wanted something more serious. In 2009, Bynes signed a deal with Screen Gems that would cast her in two films, both Easy A and Hall Pass. But her addictions were catching up to her.
(Amanda Bynes in Easy A at the age of 23)
After Easy A wrapped filming in California during the winter of 2010, Bynes traveled to Georgia to start filming Hall Pass. It was a great opportunity to work with big names like Owen Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jenna Fischer and Jason Sudeikis. Much to the dismay of her fellow cast, Bynes was frequently high on set, horribly unprofessional, and often forgot her lines. She oddly appeared paranoid and fearful at times, rumored to be behaving like a diva despite acting with others who were far more famous. Neither the encouragement of the Farrelly brothers (directors), nor Owen Wilson (lead actor), could convince Bynes to regain control of herself.
By June of 2010, it was reported that Bynes had been replaced in Hall Pass. At some point between late February and early June, she was probably fired (she claims that she quit of her own volition), bringing a screeching halt to her final acting gig. In July, Bynes was only 24 when she announced a hiatus from Hollywood. To date, she has never returned. A few months later, Easy A was released in theaters on September 17, 2010, the final appearance of Amanda Bynes’ illustrious and fleeting career.
(Bynes (24) in a white shirt filming a scene from Hall Pass at Emory University on February 26, 2010, before losing the job and her career)
Bynes admitted that heavy drug and alcohol usage altered her brain and personality. She was diagnosed as bipolar. Her legal troubles soon began at age 26. In 2012, she was arrested and charged in four separate incidents including DUI and fleeing the scene of an accident. Both her agent and her publicist dropped her. She was arrested for two separate incidents in 2013, and again for DUI in 2014. Bynes was trashed by the media, and aided her own downfall with unpopular Twitter tirades, including lashing out unreasonably at other celebrities, and even falsely accusing her own father of sexual abuse in 2014.
(Amanda Bynes looked like a hot mess, wearing a wig and one fake nail, when she appeared in court on drug charges in 2013 at the age of 27)
Thankfully, she went sober in 2014, but reports indicate a relapse in 2019. She recently made headlines in March of 2020, a month before her 34th birthday, when Bynes was committed to a psychiatric facility. She was released after two months.
The story of Emma Stone
While the film Easy A signified the end of a once promising career for Amanda Bynes, it hailed the rise of Emma Stone.
From a young age, little Emily Stone was incredibly ambitious, even making a PowerPoint presentation at 15 to convince her parents she needed to move from Arizona to Los Angeles to pursue her dream as an actor. Indeed, halfway through her freshman year of high school, her mother agreed to move with her to an apartment in Southern California.
As with most Hollywood careers, Stone began with bit parts in the business, waiting for something big to come along. Emily adapted the stage name of Emma, and got her foot in the door with single-episode appearances on four television shows. She landed recurring roles on two TV series that were quickly cancelled. Stone auditioned for nearly every new sitcom, every Disney Channel show, and the NBC drama Heroes, only to be rejected by them all.
(Emma Stone at 17 in 2006)
At 18, her appearance in Superbad got some attention, later winning Exciting New Face at the Young Hollywood Awards on April 27, 2008. Roles in The House Bunny (2008) and Zombieland (2009) gave her Hollywood familiarity, but she was certainly no A-Lister.
(Emma Stone in Superbad in 2007 at 18)
And then … the breakthrough. She landed her first starring Hollywood role in Easy A. By all accounts, Stone’s performance was magnificent, memorable enough to vault her into the coveted realm of Hollywood stardom. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert opined that, although Emma Stone had recently become a familiar face in movies, her performance in Easy A made her a Hollywood star. Other critics echoed that sentiment.
(Emma Stone appears in Easy A at 21)
The role earned her six nominations amongst the Golden Globe Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, the MTV Awards, and The Comedy Awards, winning two of those. Only 36 days after the release of Easy A, she hosted SNL for the first of many times.
(Emma Stone attending the Easy A world premiere)
Appearances in The Help (2011), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), and Birdman (2014) helped solidify her fame, garnering more prestigious nominations. At the age of 28, she won the Academy Award for best actress after a stellar performance in La La Land (2016). By 2017, she was being touted as the world’s highest-paid actress, and one of the top 100 most influential people in the world.
(Emma Stone collecting her Oscar in 2017)
Stone’s career is flourishing now as one of the greatest actors of her generation. Stone approaches every role with professionalism and doesn’t seem to exhibit any bad behavior that could be used for tabloid fodder.
As one starlet flamed out in 2010, another shot to stardom by working hard and flying straight.
Note: Jason Sudekis and Christina Applegate appeared together in The Rocker in 2008 with a virtually unknown Emma Stone at the time. Sudekis and Applegate also appeared together in Hall Pass in 2010 where they witnessed Amanda Bynes destroying her career. They became firsthand witnesses for the rise of Stone and the fall of Bynes.
Kids, don’t do drugs.
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