Sharon Stone’s optimism: “You don’t choose your destiny, you are born with a lot of things.
This year the famous Hollywood actress turned 60. Her life is so extraordinary that it could be the basis for a fiction novel or a movie.
Looking at Sharon Stone, you involuntarily think that some people are destined, one way or another, to become famous. Who would have thought that a girl with an IQ of 150, found in less than 1.5% of the population, would become famous by starring in an erotic thriller?
Born in a provincial town of Pennsylvania, a pretty blonde girl does not think about a career as an actress or even more model. Like any teenager, Sharon enjoyed watching movies. But her true passion was writing her own stories, which were often published in the school newspaper. Curiously, even after Sharon had left university for a career as a model and later became an actress, not once she had the opportunity to translate on the screen is the image of writers. And she did graduate from university, studying online and taking the missing exams… at the age of 57! And there’s nothing surprising about that. Became a true sex symbol of the 90’s, thanks to the performance of the main role in the cult movie “Basic Instinct”, Sharon, as befits a smart girl, successfully used his popularity, not only for its own benefit, but also for the benefit of others.
Her ability to raise money at charity parties is legendary. It once raised as much as a million dollars at the World Economic Forum in Davos to buy mosquito nets for the people of Africa. And all this for five minutes. True, her actions were later criticized by UNICEF, but that did not stop her from doing similar things in the future. In addition, just after this case, the fashion house Christian Dior invited the 47-year-old actress to represent their company. When Sharon found out, she even questioned whether the company knew how old she was. That’s why she invited a representative of the fashion house to a meeting in an informal setting, to which she came without makeup. And all so that no one has any doubts about who they are dealing with. That’s probably who Sharon is – she’s not afraid to say what she thinks because she believes in herself and in what she does.
It is noteworthy that Sharon began his film career at Woody Allen in the film with a rather symbolic name “Memories of stardust,” playing in it seductive blonde who sends air kisses from the window of a train. It was this image is remembered by many and became associated with Sharon herself. And after the success of “Basic Instinct,” for Sharon Stone officially entrenched the image of the actress, who plays mostly sexy heroines. But what a lot!
If her professional career was quite successful, the same could not be said about her personal life. It seemed that after a divorce and several miscarriages, one of Hollywood’s most attractive women had finally found marital happiness with a new husband and adopted son. But the trouble came from somewhere unexpected. In 2001, when she was only 43 years old, the actress suffered a stroke after dissecting the vertebral artery. As a result, she partially lost her vision, hearing, and ability to move normally. And even that was not all. In her struggle to get back to normal life, she suddenly found herself losing her family. And, most importantly, the son that her husband decided to take away, while filing for divorce. But that’s why she is Sharon Stone, not to give up and believe in yourself. When doctors warned her that after such a stroke, only one in 20 cases could be expected to make a full recovery, she realized that this would be the case. After returning to full life, she independently adopted two more boys and is now the mother of three teenagers. She lives her life to the fullest and is incredibly happy that she continues to receive job offers, both from famous directors and beginners. Recently Sharon took part in an unusual project of Steven Soderbergh “Mosaic”, existing in the form of a television series and in the form of a mobile app. The formats are changing, which means that life is not standing still. And with her, Sharon.
We met her in the auditorium of the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. It’s hard to believe that Sharon Stone is 60. In her appearance, femininity is naturally combined with youthful fervor. She is wearing a flared gray satin silk dress by Amanda Navarra, elegantly complemented by a string of large black pearls running in two rows along the neckline. Her short platinum hair reveals her high forehead. But undoubtedly her best decoration is a dazzling smile that instantly captivates the interlocutor. In a word, a real Hollywood diva. To my surprise, Sharon is a very warm and effulgent person in person. She is uncommonly frank and enjoys sharing her reflections on age-related shifts in attitudes, the feminist movement and the need for frank conversations with children, the vagaries of fate, and her own choices. Talking with her, you don’t doubt for a minute that communicating with people is a joy for her. And that’s the attraction.
About how life at 60-different from life at age 40
When I was 40, I didn’t know that once you meet someone, you can’t hope to change them. And I didn’t know that no matter how good you are as a wife or how good you are as a husband, your marriage is not necessarily going to be happy and your life is going to be great. I didn’t know I was going to have a stroke that would completely change my life and attitude. I had no idea that I would be so grateful to be 60 years old. At the same time, I had no idea how big of a date it was! What’s there at 40 – when I was still 50, I was proud to present myself, they say, look, because I’m still “uh! And now I’m just stunned, really. And to be quite frank, of course, I feel my age. My appearance has always been important to me. But the stroke put everything in its place. It wasn’t a question of how I looked or if I could get roles, it was a question of whether I could move, hear, see at all. Now I can work again and memorize 30 pages of text a day. I am glad that I can fulfill my parental responsibilities, because I have three boys: 11, 12 and 17 years old. I am so thankful that I can not only live a full life, but also work and raise my children.
The importance of talking frankly with children
Personally, I try to have a lot of “heart-to-heart” conversations with my children. I always answer their questions frankly, because I honestly believe if they ask them, it means they are ready to hear the answers. When the topic of hook up comes up in conversation with my seventeen-year-old son , it is very important for me to find out from him what is behind this concept. And if it means a one-night sexual relationship, it’s pretty obvious to me that the next day he as a man should call the girl and thank her for the time they spent together. Not a text, no. Call and talk to the person in person. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to go out with her again. Human contact is necessary. I don’t hesitate to talk to my sons about the need for a condom. I worked with an organization that helps people with AIDS, so I have no illusions about the age at which teenagers become sexually active. Children must be warned, and that is the task of parents first and foremost.
About the Modern Feminist Movement
I think the feminist movement is necessary and timely. As we can all see, a lot of problems have accumulated. But it seems to me that women don’t need to approach problems the way men do at all. We women do not think linearly – we think volumetrically. We cover the problem more fully, although it is more difficult to solve it this way. We don’t just think in black and white categories – there are shades in them. In addition, we are capable of multitasking: we can simultaneously make soup, iron a shirt, feed the kids, get them ready for school the next day and, while talking to our husband, make sure he doesn’t bump his head on anything while he’s doing just one thing. We can do a lot of things! We all need a platform for free discussion of problems. I am very grateful to the press for providing such a platform for women. But on the other hand, wouldn’t it be better to move such discussions to schools and universities? After all, that’s where it’s best to educate guys and girls about what’s right and what’s wrong, while giving everyone the opportunity to express their opinions without fear.
What it’s like to be a star
Fame is like a bright light falling on you. Sometimes it’s there and lights you up, and sometimes it’s gone, as it was during my illness. And it’s very easy to feel it. Just as it is easy to distinguish light from darkness. I remember very well that moment when, at the Cannes Festival, before the premiere of “Basic Instinct”, Paul Verhoeven accompanied me on the red carpet, and in the crowd kept calling out my name. Suddenly Paul pushed me forward, and everyone cheered and applauded-that’s when I felt the breakthrough to the light. And it’s not the bright flashes of the cameras at all(laughs). But this same light can also become too bright, it is not easy to be in it all the time. For example, when I think of Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio, I can’t even imagine how they endure that light. It can be devastating, and it takes a lot of strength to withstand it.
On the favor of fate and the importance of one’s own choices
It seems to me that destiny is not chosen – we are given many things from birth. At the same time, we all have the freedom to choose exactly how to treat what we have been given. When you’re famous and they start doing a lot of things for you, you can very quickly lose your sense of reality. This can manifest itself even in such small things as gluing stamps, for example. One day I realized that I had completely missed the moment when stamps became self-adhesive, and this fact was a revelation to me. I remember once paying at the supermarket, I handed my credit card to the cashier and he gave it back to me, pointing to the machine in front of me. And I had no idea what to do with it. It’s very similar to the feelings of those who are released after a long prison sentence(laughs). But I have a name, my opinion is listened to, which means I can influence a lot of people and change their lives for the better. It was my choice, and thank God I made it. After all, he didn’t let me go crazy or become an obnoxious diva. It’s good when you have enough intelligence for self-development and you’re not in danger of turning into a princess on a pea.
Photo: HFPA
Lena Busse
