Emma Stone has achieved a lot in the past ten years, including winning an Academy Award for her leading performance in La La Land in 2017. However, she has taken a well-deserved six-month sabbatical, which has led her to recognize that many of her goals are now “personal and less professional.”

The 29-year-old sat down for the interview with her friend and fellow actress Jennifer Lawrence in 2018, and the two were honest while addressing mental health.

During the discussion, Stone emphasized the value of friendship, particularly in adulthood. When asked why this was so significant, Stone said,

“I think friendship is pretty much everything. Here’s another turning-30 thing I’ve realized: You pick your family. You realize that your friendships, the people who go with you into these next phases of your life – you’re choosing your family,” she said.

Stone also said that her twenties were full of ups and downs. It seems that she, too, considers reaching 30 to be a watershed moment. She elaborated,

“My twenties were a really interesting time, and there’s been a lot that has happened in these past 10 years, both positive and not as positive,” Stone said. “It’s weird how much turning 30 crystallizes your life. Instead of just living the dreams that I had in my youth and getting to do the job that I love to do and making friends and going through all of that, it’s like, now what do I actively want as an adult?”

‘Not every friendship is lifelong, and that’s natural. But by 30, you’ll likely know who will be lasting players in your life, which can be important for the rest of adulthood. And in some cases, chosen family can be just as important as biological family, as Stone pointed out. The actor also shared that she’s had more time to spend with friends recently, since she took six months off from filming any new projects.

‘I am sensitive on a level that is problematic,’ Emma told Jennifer, 28, who later said that Emma’s open discussions about anxiety helped the Red Sparrow actress feel more normal for experiencing similar problems and ‘bringing it up’.

Stone also discussed how, in her mid-twenties, a lot of things changed (such as her parents’ divorce and the start of her career), and she struggled to connect to the new version of herself.

It’s only appropriate that Lawrence be the one asking Stone about her views on the topic. Lawrence and Stone have a legendary celebrity relationship, and it seems that Stone found it easy to express honest views about growing up with her old buddy. The stars told W magazine in January that they initially became friends because they each had a common stalker – a frightening, but yet fortunate, start to their relationship. The two A-listers now have each other’s backing as they navigate Hollywood together.

When Jennifer makes fun of her blushing over things that happen to characters on TV, Emma responds, ‘I mean, I’ve talked to my therapist about it before, and she’s like, “Thank God you found [acting].”‘

Stone went on to add that loyalty is the most essential aspect of a friendship, and she is grateful to have discovered it in Lawrence.

‘I think your wiring is just kind of what you are. My mom always says that I was born with my nerves outside of my body. But I’m lucky for the anxiety, because it also makes me high-energy,’ she said.

Stone also said that her views on marriage and motherhood have evolved in recent years. “As a teenager, I was like, I’m never getting married, I’m never having kids,” she said. “And then I got older and I was like, I really want to get married, I really want to have kids.”

To that aim, she engages in self-care measures such as not having a social media profile.

‘I think it wouldn’t be a positive thing for me. If people can handle that sort of output and input in the social media sphere, power to them,’ she says.

The interview demonstrates that turning 30 is unimportant. But it also makes us appreciate their friendship even more.

It’s natural to shift your perspective on major life events like these, and it’s also natural to reflect on significant anniversaries like your 30th birthday. But it’s not every day that celebrities are so candid and honest about their experiences. It’s wonderful to hear Stone talk so freely about her own aging process, and to hear that she’s not scared of her 30s.