Emma Stone: "I Was a Good-Looking Kid"

USMagazine, Wednesday, June 8, 2011, 2:52pm (PDT)

When ELLE asked Emma Stone to grace the cover of its July issue, the 22-year-old actress was flattered -- but not surprised -- to be featured in such a popular fashion magazine.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's rising stars

"I sucked my thumb until I was 11, so I had this expander in. I was a good-looking kid," she laughs. "I never felt, like, dorky. I was just like, 'Yup, these are my braces. I've had them forever.'"

Kidding aside, Stone's appearance made headlines when she went blonde for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man. Though she welcomed the change (she's a natural blonde), the actress' fans had trouble recognizing her at first.

PHOTOS: Vote for these stars' best hair colors

"I mean, I haven't been around very long. I can't expect everyone to have seen The House Bunny," Stone says. "Oh God. I am having such waves of internal embarrassment, which now I'm admitting on a tape recorder. This is so one of the things I should keep in my head."

PHOTOS: This summer's hottest movies

Just don't expect to see any more radical transformations from the Golden Globe nominee. "I like to look like a person. It drives me crazy when you see women in movies playing teachers, and they have biceps. It totally takes me out of the movie. I start thinking, Wow, that actress playing this part really looks great!"

VIDEO: Emma dumps Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits

For now, Stone -- who next stars in The Help, based on the best-selling novel -- says she's happy with where her career is. "It's so funny how different life could have been. I went to so many auditions," she recalls. "I remember my audition for Heroes. I went in right after Hayden Panettiere. Now here we are in this rented house. It feels like it just happened."

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly