Emma Stone ‘enlists body double for tennis movie’

Emma Stone needs a body double for new movie Battle of the Sexes, according to reports.

The 27-year-old actress plays tennis icon Billie Jean King in the upcoming film, which tells the story of the now famous match in 1973 between King and retired 55-year-old male player Bobby Riggs.

However, Emma’s skills on the court are said to be so terrible that bosses have apparently enlisted the help of a tennis playing body double for the sportier scenes of the film.

According to the New York Post’s gossip column Page Six, King even gave Emma one-on-one tennis lessons, but they didn’t pay off.

“Billie Jean herself tried to teach Emma to play tennis, but she was useless, so they got a body double,” a source told the publication. “Steve Carell, who plays Riggs, is a great tennis player and did all of his action scenes.”

However, another insider added to the column that using a body double is the norm on these kind of films. Both Emma and Steve had their own professional tennis coaches before filming began and throughout the shoot.

“There are always doubles in films that require a sport, skill or stunt,” the source said. “Emma did play tennis in the film. And so did her double. Steve also had a double.”

While a representative for Fox Searchlight, who are making the movie, declined to comment, a spokesperson for King confirmed that she had been giving Emma lessons.

“Billie Jean visited the set and had a fantastic time. She did give Emma some pointers on her serve and backhand,” King’s representative said. “They just had a blast. Billie Jean had the most fun.”