Emma Stone for Vogue July Issues

This summer finds 23-year-old Emma Stone dangling from the rooftops in her blockbuster breakout as Peter Parker’s brainy blonde girlfriend in The Amazing Spider-Man—and gracing her first-ever cover of Vogue. With photos shot by Mario Testino, Stone cultivates a persona all her own, an innate, antic glamour that’s inspired as much by Diane Keaton’s Annie Hall style as Lanvin and Giambattista Valli. And in July’s profile, Nathan Heller encounters the actress at the cusp of a pivotal transformation in her young career, after earning her reputation as Hollywood’s go-to girl for strong, spunky characters bridging unreconciled worlds, going brunette for her Superbad audition and making her move from comedy to The Help. “Working with Emma was like diving into a thrilling, twisting river and never holding on to the sides,” says her Spider-Man costar Andrew Garfield. “From the start. To the end. Spontaneous. In the moment. Present. Terrifying. Vital. The only way acting with someone should be.” In our cover story, Stone recounts what it’s like to see her childhood dreams come true (appearing at the Oscars in February, hosting Saturday Night Live); confesses to a history of panic attacks and how she learned, growing up in Arizona, to channel that anxiety into laughter (“Comedy was my sport”); and reveals how she launched into acting at the age of fourteen (to convince her parents to let her move to L.A. to pursue her dream, she made a PowerPoint presentation). That may have been her first major performance—now, as Spider-Man leaps into theaters, we’ll see her hanging from the precipice, perfectly poised for her next big moment.

To read the full story, head to newsstands now to buy the July issue of Vogue.

She’s stunning, so she’s disarming,” says Spider-Man producer Matt Tolmach. Jil Sander knit dress with pink cable-knit detail. H. Stern diamond star earrings.

 “This is what fashion does for people,” Stone says. “It makes them feel like it’s an extension of themselves.” Dries Van Noten printed blazer, blouse, and pants. Stephen Jones cap. Charvet pocket square. Behnaz Sarafpour necklace with Venetian glass pendant. Marni brooch.

 “She’s as funny as or funnier than you are; she’s so quick,” says producer Matt Tolmach. Versus one-sleeve lace top and yellow slip dress. Jil Sander multistrap heels.