‘Cruella’ a film that’s ‘dark for the Disney universe’

It’s not so black and white.

Emma Stone is mulling over what makes a legend.

Take her iconic character Cruella de Vil, who in the new film “Cruella” isn’t born that way but is pushed into her puppy-hating ways.

“I was surprised,” Stone says. “They let us make the ‘Cruella’ we wanted. It’s dark — not like an R-rated film — but dark for the Disney universe.”

It’s also another delicious role for Stone, who went from unknown to A-lister in what seems like a blink.

The 32-year-old native of Scottsdale, Arizona, has an Academy Award and a British Film Award. In 2017, she was the highest-paid actress along with being one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

Her filmography includes “La La Land,” “The Help,” “Birdman” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”

“I like that there are so many films now,” says the new mother, who’s married to comedian and writer Dave McCary. “It used to be I’d get, ‘Aren’t you that girl from ‘Easy A?’ ”

“Cruella,” in theaters and on Disney+ this weekend, is a live-action prequel to a story introduced in 1961 and features a young Cruella de Vil, a woman who at best is simply misunderstood.

Review-Journal: Are you a fan of the original “101 Dalmatians”? And how did you feel about doing Cruella’s origin story?

Emma Stone: Yes, I loved the ’toon. I especially loved when the dogs looked like their owners. Six years ago, when there was this idea to revamp Cruella, I remember thinking it would be a lot of fun to take Cruella into the 1970s. It made her feel different with a whole new story that still has some fun nods to “101 Dalmatians.”

You play dual roles here. First, there is Estella, the younger and somewhat nicer version of Cruella, who is hired by a self-centered fashion designer, Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). She eventually morphs into the wicked, Dalmatian-obsessed Cruella. Which did you prefer?

It’s interesting. There is a rejection of Estella as a person, which comes at a point. She’s actually somewhat sweet and does not fully embody who Cruella will become. Later, there is a full acceptance that she will live in Cruella’s world. I do prefer Cruella. She doesn’t contain herself at all.

Cruella was actually a groundbreaking female villain.

That’s why I wanted to do this film. I’m interested in the dark side of a female character. Many times, women are supposed to be nice in movies or real life. Bad female monsters are seldom shown on screen. Cruella is interesting because she is single-minded in her evil ways. I wouldn’t walk her path in real life, but as a character I found that intriguing. Her commitment to her own creativity, even seeking evil results, is rather admirable.

But you don’t like calling her the bad one.

I would never be able to play a character if I thought, “Oh, they’re just bad.”

Where does the darkness seep in?

We tried to tell a story about Cruella where she’s human. Of course, she starts out like any young woman in that she has her weaknesses. At least, what she would deem as a weakness early on, such as her volatility and her reactiveness, actually becomes her strength through her creativity and genius. I do believe weaknesses can become strengths. In Cruella’s case, however, she goes pretty far into some very dark places.

How did you deal with some of the elaborate costumes?

The costumes were intense because they had such structure to them. They were definitely shapely costumes, so basically if you had flesh, it was all about what they did in olden days. There was a dress and they squeezed you into it. You can make extreme shapes this way with costumes. It’s not always fantastically fun for the actor at the center. You feel a bit like a toothpaste tube being squeezed.

Did you have a favorite look?

My favorite outfit is the dress I wear while on top of a garbage truck. It has a 40-foot train that was actually added after I got on the garbage truck. It was one of those moments when I thought, “Yes, I’m in a movie.” There was also an insane skirt where I cover up a car with the switch into this skirt. None of it was CGI. I walked onto that car and they pulled material all around me. Same thing when the garbage truck pulled away with me on it. The material flew all around.

No pooches were even looked at strangely during the making of this movie, right?

No. And there was quite a bit of dog CGI in the film. As much as we wanted to have all the dogs on set, it was better to use CGI. The dogs we used were very sweet and worked so hard as little canine actors who even knew how to stand on their marks. There was a dog named Bobby who was the sweetest dog I’ve known in my entire life, and I’ve known a lot of dogs.

You’ve won an Oscar and have your pick of big projects. Ever get nervous going into a new film?

Anytime a character has a very important emotional scene the next day, I might lose some sleep worrying about the next day.

How do you get rid of nerves?

There are no rituals. The more present you can be, the better, and then there is no room for nerves. Maybe this is also why I wanted to be an actor: I’m naturally anxious. When I act, I don’t have time to think about all the things I’m worried about in that moment. The more in the moment you are, the nerves are gone. That’s the great gift of acting.

What is an ideal Sunday for you?

Just relaxing with family and friends. I’ll wake up and then meditate, which is a really good way to center yourself. A walk in nature is a beautiful way to spend some time. A good meal and watch a movie. And some sleep!