Emma Stone is one of the most recognizable faces in cinema, but her acting origins are a bit untraditional. In the early 2000s—long before she ever appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man or The House Bunny—Stone starred in a reality competition television show.
Emma Stone appeared on VH1’s In Search of The Partridge Family. The hit sitcom, The Partridge Family, originally followed the titular family on their venture to make it big as a musical act. It connected with an entire generation, spawning all sorts of merchandise, so it’s not hard to understand why VH1 would try to capitalize on the success. It was just too little too late.
The 2004 reality show’s main objective was to scour the globe for a new set of faces to fill the shoes of the iconic 1970s sitcom family. Stone sung songs like Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” and Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch.” She won the role of Laurie Partridge, the eldest daughter of the family originally played by Susan Dey, but VH1 ultimately opted out of the show.
Emma Stone’s Iconic career began on vh1
“In Search of The Partridge Family was a VH1 reality search competition, similar to an American Idol,” Stone recalled to Entertainment Tonight. “There was singing. There were like little scenes we would do, and every week, people would be voted off.”
Despite the stress of the job, Stone says she made lasting connections during her time filming, including her longtime manager.
“I made lifelong friends there. I also ended up meeting my manager, now of 20 years, Doug Wald. It was a pivotal experience in my life, but really intense to be on a reality competition.”
It’s hard to believe the Academy Award-winning actress got her start on a competition series, but the grueling nature prepared her for some of her most iconic roles. In the scant footage available online, it’s clear that Stone has the “it” factor to be a major Hollywood star, and she was hungry to become a big name.
Just a few years later she’d land Superbad, Zombieland, and her first leading role in Easy A. VH1 mostly went in a different direction with their content, hosting several celebrity-led dating shows throughout the early 2000s and early 2010s.
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