Every Best Actress Oscar Movie Winner Of The 21st Century Ranked
18. Emma Stone - La La Land (2016)
Who should have won: Isabelle Huppert - Elle.
Since the mid-2010s, Emma Stone has enjoyed lots of well-earned success away from the raunchy comedies that gave her career life, and her Best Actress win for La La Land currently stands as her greatest achievement.
Dreamy and romantic, Stone's portrayal of optimistic actress Mia is infectiously pure and sweet, bringing Damien Chazelle's jazz drama to life with an endearing centre that elevates everything around her. It's such a wonderful performance that Mia's fate becomes impossible to reconcile.
There are moments, yes, where the film's focus on scale and visual splendour give her little to work with, but Stone's portrayal of courage, passion, loss, and hopeless romanticism is still the best part of a brilliant movie.