Emma Stone had the perfect response to reporter who used her real name as they reunite at Cannes

Emma Stone had a heartwarming interaction with a reporter this week, who called her by her real name.

The reporter's interview with the two-time Oscar winner went viral last year, and he says it 'skyrocketed' his career 'literally for saying one word'.

Their reunion came as Stone was promoting her new film Eddington at the Cannes film festival - the fourth feature film by Midsommar director Ari Aster.

Aster's debut film Hereditary was so disturbing it did emotional 'damage' to one of the actors Alex Wolff, so film fans are intrigued to see what he has in store for them next. Stone stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler, with the movie telling the story of a standoff between a sheriff and a mayor during the Covid-19 pandemic in Eddington, New Mexico.

And while Stone's name will appear as Emma in the credits of that movie, that's not actually what she likes to be called.

Emma was reunited with the reporter in Cannes (Lyvans Boolaky/Getty Images)

Last year, a clip went viral online when a reporter from Kazakhstan referred to Emma by her real name.

At the time, Emma was promoting her movie Kinds of Kindness when the reporter called her Emily.

"My name is Emily, thank you, very nice," said Emma at the time, after the reporter was 'corrected'.

Yep, to the world, she's known as Emma, but her birth name is actually Emily Jean Stone.

At the beginning of her acting career, Emma changed her name when she discovered there was already an actress with the name 'Emily Stone'.

When the reporter was reunited with Stone, he said: “Before asking a question, I’d like to thank you for quite literally changing my life.

“Just a year ago, we were in the press room and I addressed you by your real name, Emily."

Emma responded: “Yes! It’s very good to see you.”

“Your kind and warm response, it went viral in Western media and obviously in my country, Kazakhstan, and it has skyrocketed my career immediately. It has changed my personal life immediately, literally for saying one word," the reporter continued.

“And now I can be once again here in much better conditions... again talking to you, this is a great pleasure, and just for you to know, I’m eternally grateful."

Emma, taken aback by the reporter's comments, said: "That was incredibly sweet, and I'm so happy that a name could do that."

Following the viral clip last year, Emma was asked which name she preferred during an interview on the Today show, and revealed her name change was partly inspired by a hit girl group.

“I’m fine either way. I really am. My real name is Emily, though,” she said.

“[Emily Stone] was taken at Screen Actors Guild. It’s sort of like when you register a business and you can’t have the same name as someone else. I’ve been saying Emily my whole life. You can call me whatever you want. You can make up a name."

The press conference was for the movie, Eddington (Sebastien Nogier/Pool/Getty Images)

She also revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the name 'Emma' was inspired by the British girl band the Spice Girls.

“Growing up, I was super blonde, and my real name is Emily, but I wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice. And guess what, now I am,” she said.

“It wasn’t necessarily because of her. But yes, in second grade, did I go up to the teacher on the first day and ask her to call me Emma? Yes, I did. And was it because of Emma Lee Bunton from the Spice Girls? Yes, it was.”