Golden Globes 2011 nominations: Newcomers Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and Mila Kunis react

Emma Stone, the brassy young star of the high school comedy “Easy A,” says she’s well aware that she’s yet to gain a reputation as a “serious actress.” Still, Tuesday morning the relative newcomer found herself nominated for a Golden Globe alongside such stalwarts as Angelina Jolie, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.

Stone was the first to express her surprise.

“I mean, yeah, it’s ‘Easy A,’” she joked, shortly after receiving word of her nom in the Globes’ actress in a motion picture comedy/musical category. “It’s not like it’s been an awards process and I’ve been to all these shows.”

Stone, 22, was one of the three youngest actresses nominated this year in the Globes’ film categories. Jennifer Lawrence, 20, was recognized for her role as the protagonist in the dramatic feature “Winter’s Bone,” and Mila Kunis, 27, scored a nod for her supporting turn in “Black Swan.”

Of the three, Lawrence is arguably the newest to Hollywood. Her breakout role came only this year with “Winter’s Bone,” a low-budget independent film in which she plays a strong-willed teenager struggling to care for her troubled family.

Critics have gushed over her performance in the movie for months, but Lawrence — who has been abroad filming a role in the 2011 release “X-Men: First Class” — said she has so far been able to shy away from the fanfare.

“Fortunately, I’ve been in London for most of it, so I’ve been kind of out of it,” she said, calling from set. “I’m pretty glad that I was working and wasn’t [in L.A.]. It’s much better.”

Although Lawrence might still be learning the ropes, Kunis years ago made a name for herself as part of the long-running Fox sitcom “That ‘70s Show.” When the program came to the end of its eight-year run, she slowly transitioned into film, most memorably with a role opposite Jason Segel in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”

So it would seem that her role in the dark ballet thriller “Black Swan,” which earned a total of four Golden Globe nominations, could change audiences’ perception of the actress with a largely comedic background. But when asked how the nomination might affect her career, Kunis professed that she wasn’t sure.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she sighed, speaking by phone around 9 a.m. Tuesday. “I’ve been up for three hours. I have no idea what side people are seeing me on.”

For Stone, though, the Globe nomination does bolster the perception that her star is on the rise. The actress, who has had supporting roles in films including “Zombieland” and “Superbad,” recently wrapped production on the cinematic adaptation of the popular novel “The Help” and just began work on the new “Spider-Man” film, in which she plays Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy.

Before heading to the set of the comic-book film, the actress acknowledged that her career has changed drastically in the last year.

“Hands down, 2010 has been the best year of my life so far,” she said. “And this is like the giant, giant cherry on top of it. Since I have a big disaster mentality, though, it makes me a little nervous.”

amy.kaufman@latimes.com