Representation matters, and not just for audiences. Emma Stone described playing tennis pro Billie Jean King as a “game changer” in a new interview with Marie Claire. She portrays the trailblazing athlete and outspoken advocate of gender equality in Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s upcoming “Battle of the Sexes.”

The Oscar-winning “La La Land” star explained, “I am very nervous to communicate my opinions a lot of the time, especially publicly…[Billie] is so direct and confident in the way that she communicates what she believes is right,” she observed. “To be able to step into that was a pretty powerful experience. It’s something that I still don’t feel entirely comfortable with, but it was also one of the great parts about playing her.”

As important as it is for audiences to see nuanced, empowered women onscreen, Stone’s admission illustrates how much of an impact these characters can make on the women who play them.

The “Birdman” actress recently spoke out about the importance of male allies in the fight for equal pay — and it’s possible she was confident enough to do so because of the lessons she learned from portraying King. “In my career so far, I’ve needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them. And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair,” she revealed. “That’s something that’s also not discussed, necessarily — that our getting equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, ‘That’s what’s fair.’ If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life.”

“Battle of the Sexes” is based on the true story of King v. Bobby Riggs, the much-hyped 1973 tennis match — also known as “the Battle of the Sexes” — that became a cultural shorthand for women’s rights, especially as they pertain to sports. The comedy bows September 22.