Hollywood icon, Sharon Stone has delivered some truth bombs about the scale of sexism in acting, suggesting some men she has worked with in the past are “so misogynistic”.
The 64-year old screen legend opened up in a candid interview with Variety, describing the unpleasant experiences she has had working with some pretty awful men.
“I’ve worked with some of the biggest stars in the business, who will literally talk through my close-up, telling me what they think I should do,” she said. “They’re so misogynistic.”
“They just will not listen to me and will not allow me to affect their performance with my performance. That’s not great acting.”
“I get that you’re great and everybody thinks you’re wonderful. But listening, being present for those fractured moments, is really the human experience.”
Stone has starred in Hollywood’s most icon films, including Basic Instinct opposite Michael Douglas, Total Recall opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cold Creek Manor opposite Dennis Quaid and Casino, opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Naturally, suspicions rose about exactly which male co-star she may be referring to — but Stone was quick to eliminate two stars from the pool of potentials.
“Now, that is not Robert De Niro,” she said. “That is not Joe Pesci, that is not those guys.”
Stone has previously spoken out against the gender pay gap in Hollywood. Last December, she posted a clip from Casino on her Instagram story noting a costume she wore, with the caption: “Just in case I die one day and my kids notice I never got equal pay and want to auction them.”
Last week, Stone joined musician Sam Smith on Saturday Night Live, sprawled in a glittering gold and black gown (designed by Indian couturier, Gaurav Gupta) as Smith performed a track from their upcoming album, Gloria.
Journalist Jem Aswad described the musical number of both artists in detail:
“When Smith begins singing…[Stone] sits up, transfixed by something in the distance, her expression a combination of awe, fear, sadness and a kind of rapture. As the song ends, she turns her head toward the audience, tears welling in her eyes, a grim finality settling over her face. It’s a remarkably subtle and enigmatic performance for such a dramatic song, and not necessarily one to be expected from her past films.”
Commenting on their SNL collaboration, Stone revealed:
“Sam did not ask for anything from me — just asked me if I would do it and trusted me. We just innately understand each other, at an almost intimate level. We have no judgment of each other; we have only affirmative feelings about each other as an artist. It’s not a competitive sport, but we want each other to bring our best game, and in order to do that, it’s like, “Just go for it, girl.”
Read Stone’s entire interview with Variety here.