Sharon Stone reflects on her ‘sex symbol’ journey
The Basic Instinct star has reflected on her decades in Hollywood while being honoured for her women’s rights advocacy and philanthropic work.
Sharon Stone has reflected on moving beyond her Hollywood “sex symbol” image as she was honoured for her philanthropy and advocacy for women’s rights at Variety’s Power of Women event.
The 68-year-old Basic Instinct star was among the principal honourees at the annual event at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles this week, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Melissa McCarthy and television executive Pearlena Igbokwe.
Sharon was recognised for her advocacy and support for the American Civil Liberties Union, while comedian Iliza Shlesinger hosted the ceremony.
Speaking to Page Six on the red carpet, Sharon said: “I think that it’s very important to recognize that we are all women of power and influence, because women, by the very fact of being a woman, [are] powerful and influential.”
Sharon pointed to the everyday decisions made by women, from raising children to choices involving food and their homes.
She added: “It’s a woman who makes all of the basic day-to-day choices in the world.
“I think it’s really important to think about that. That is very powerful and very influential.”
Sharon urged women to “use that power and influence in a compassionate, thoughtful, meaningful way, and in ways that take care of each other”.
Inside the ceremony, Sharon spoke about her journey through Hollywood and the image that became attached to her after her breakthrough as Catherine Tramell opposite Michael Douglas in the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct.
She said: “I am a product of the American dream.”
Sharon referred to her father, Joseph William Stone II, who worked in a factory in Pennsylvania, as she discussed her journey from her upbringing to international fame.
She said: “I have gone the distance from being a sex symbol… and I did it by keeping both of these tired feet that hurt from wearing four-inch heels on poured concrete floors.”
She added: “I kept them firmly planted on terra firma because there is no gray in the red, white and blue.
“So the power that I feel in the power of women, I get because I am standing in the middle of you, and I do not stand alone when I stand here.”
Sharon’s appearance comes after she returned to television in the third and final season of HBO’s Euphoria, joining a cast headed by Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney.
Sharon appeared as Hollywood producer Patricia Lance across five episodes.
She became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars after Basic Instinct, having previously appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall.
Sharon went on to star in Sliver, The Specialist, The Quick and the Dead and Martin Scorsese’s Casino, earning an Academy Award nomination for best actress and winning a Golden Globe for her performance as Ginger McKenna.
Her recent screen work has included In Memoriam and Babies, alongside her return to television in Euphoria.
The Power of Women ceremony also recognised Jennifer, Melissa and Pearlena for their philanthropic work, while Paige DeSorbo received the Variety Courage Award for her advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse.
