Should you ever encounter actresses Emma Stone and Lena Dunham and wish to start up a friendly conversation with them, here's a pro-tip: don't use the nicknames "baby," "honey" or "sweetheart."
Why not? The two actresses, who recently got together to discuss the subject of sexist nicknames on a "mini" episode of Dunham's podcast http://www.itunes.com/womenofthehour think their male coworkers in particular should work to eliminate the aforementioned endearing terms in favor of more creative, gender neutral nicknames.
Their suggested alternatives include: "Pal," "Kid," "Bud," "Buck-o."
"Oh I love 'buck-o.' I want people to call me 'buck-o' so much," Stone said when Dunham suggested it. The Aloha actress would also accept the nickname "Dude."
"Dude is great!" said Dunham.
"You know what I realized about the word 'dude?' It means everything," theorized Stone. "It's one of the only words in the American version of the English language that can mean anything."
Dunham and Stone went on to joke that "Cap'n," (as in "Crunch)" would be acceptable, along with "Doc" and, the Seven Dwarves?
"Actually any of the Seven Dwarves -- not Dopey, don't say Dopey," said Stone. "I would love to be Sleepy."
Both actresses agree that the best-case scenario is a nickname of their own name and the next best option is something creative and playful.
"Like, anyone can call me 'Em.' That feels great," said Stone. "It feels personal and lovely, and you don't have to say sweetheart. You can just say 'Em.'"
But if you really want to get on Stone's good side, use "Dragon."
"I just finished a movie and (a security guard on the film) said, 'Let me help you out, ma'am.' Like helping me out of a van, which, you know, was lovely. And I said, 'Please don't call me ma'am.' And he said, 'OK, what would you like me to call you?' And I said, 'Dragon. And I'll call you Nighthawk.' Which is from Stepbrothers. So for the whole movie, he called me Dragon," she recalled. "Which, you call someone Dragon -- that's a hell of a name."
"That's so good!" Dunham said.
"I called him Nighthawk the whole time," Stone said. "It was great!"
Emma Stone and Lena Dunham Don't Want You To Call Them 'Baby' – Go With 'Dragon' Instead
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10/29/2015 AT 11:00 PM EDT
