Emma Stone is ready for universal gender equality

Battle of the Sexes star Emma Stone has shared she is holding out hope that one day everyone will be regarded as equal.

Oscar winner Emma plays real-life tennis legend Billie Jean King in the new flick, with Steve Carell starring as her on court rival, Bobby Riggs.

The tennis players famously faced each other in 1973, with the then 29-year-old Billie beating her male rival Bobby in the tense match.

“(I hope we) come to a place where it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it doesn’t matter what race you are, it doesn’t matter what your sexuality is — everyone is absolutely equal. That’s humanity and that’s just the truth,” Emma enthused at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, reports Variety.

Elisabeth Shue, Bill Pullman and Alan Cumming also star, as does English actress Andrea Riseborough, who plays Billie’s girlfriend Marilyn Barnett.

“She was married and having her first affair with a woman while she was fighting for women’s equality. And at the same time preparing for a highly publicized match with Bobby Riggs. She had all that on the line,” said filmmaker Valerie Faris, who co-directed the feature with her husband Jonathan Dayton.

And as for tackling her first real character, La La Land star Emma admits it was a daunting task.

“I've never played a real person before and it's, like, this person is an icon and an absolute bada*s that I could never even hope to be exactly like," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Capturing the essence was very important to us. It was super challenging, but (King) was so warm and welcoming and open to all of it. She was generous with her story that it made it much easier than if she was like, 'Please don't make this movie about me, good night.'"

Battle of the Sexes begins hitting cinemas from 22 September (17).