Living Unapologetically with Sharon Stone

If men got pregnant, you could get an abortion from a vending machine. You did that without an epidural. Paternity leave would be when you got the bonus. There you go. Right. Hey, what's that over there? You'd win. Yeah, what do you. What's that over there? Sharon, how did you end up in New York? Craig's like, I've had it with this conversation. Moving on. Moving on. How are you doing? I'm doing great. I feel good. I mean, you know, I don't have any complaints right now today. That's good to hear. How about you? How's your health? My health is good. Are you working out like you're supposed to be? I'm working out and getting my walks in and getting my stretching in. There you go. There we go. And. There we go. Some stretching going on. I hope everybody else is stretching. I was scolded into the stretching and then, you know, of course, coaching the kids' hoops. So that gives me a lot of exercise this time of year. Yeah. That's good. That's good. And you still hanging tough? You're staying at an Airbnb again this time? I am. I'm staying at a really nice Airbnb. And what's actually nice about it is that it's not the biggest one. It's very comfortable. I always worry about you rambling around in some big house by yourself. Yeah. I know you do. I know you do. And Leslie and Elena are busy. So they, you know, usually they would come hang out with me for a week. As Malia says, wherever I'm staying, she comes and stays there because she's like, I'm here for the amenities. It's much nicer than my apartment. She's like, I'm just. She'll come. You know, we stay at some friends' houses. They have a beautiful home. And of course, she knows them. And I come home. She's like in the bath. She's taking a bubble bath. She's washed her hair. Doing laundry. She's like, you know, the water pressure here is just so much better. She just sort of camps out to use the amenities. Yeah. The places are great. Yeah. You know, and we're going to be using them all summer long because, you know, we're doing these trips with the basketball team. Oh, yeah. You've got one coming up. Yeah. And we love to get Airbnbs when we're on the road because you never know what the game schedules are going to be. So you want to be able to go somewhere, be able to shower and have the whole team be there rather than your hotel room. Oh, yeah. You know, the fight between the boys on who gets to take the shower first and who uses up all the towels. You alleviate that by staying at an Airbnb. So we're looking forward to it. I'm glad you're doing okay. I am. We are always excited about. We are. We are. We really are. But this is the level. But we, you know, this, let me just say, the privilege that we have in being able to take through IMO some really quality time and meet people and engage with a range of people that we've either met casually or have not met at all to really spend some time. And our guest today, Sharon Stone, the icon, is here. And we. We've sort of met in passing, but it's just. I have met. Yes. I mean, it's just a blessing to be able to meet people who are smart, engaged, philanthropic, all of that good stuff. And that's what we're doing with our guest today, Sharon Stone. And that's why we decided to do this because we get to talk to some really interesting people as if they're at our house. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When we were younger and we'd have company and they'd sit around the kitchen table and we'd talk for hours and how we used to sabotage them leaving. Yeah, you guys should know, we would have company and Misha and I would hear them talking about leaving and then we'd go in and ask for a snack or do something and mom would fix food and the guests would end up staying for another hour. It's like we had another hour, right? Yeah. Yeah. We won't hijack Sharon today, but why don't you, Craig, do the. Do the proper introduction. I will. I will. Sharon Stone is an internationally recognized actress, artist, producer, humanitarian, and New York Times bestselling author of her recent book, The Beauty of Living Twice. Beautiful memoir. Her film and television credits include Basic Instinct and Casino, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 1996 and an Academy Award nomination for her leading role opposite Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's Crime. So, without further ado, please welcome Sharon Stone. Welcome to our table. Thank you for being here. So nice to meet you. You look amazing. I am so glad you're here. Thank you. Scoot on in. Thank you. Hello. Awesome. You're looking great. Look who's talking. Yeah. See how, you know, we do into our mature years. You know, I mean. Are we supposed to be mature now? I'm just going to claim it, you know? It's like, this is the thing I've been talking. I'm claiming my wisdom. I'm mature. I'm wise. I know what I'm doing. I think wisdom is really exciting. It is so exciting. And it's so. There's this really great mix of no tolerance and unbelievable tolerance. Yes. Right? I love that. Where you're like, you just run with that. You just go. You know, one of the reasons, one of the many reasons why I love your memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, is that you really, you know, you are incredibly vulnerable and honest and open about all aspects of your life. And you do it in such a beautiful way. You are really, really a beautiful storyteller and writer. It was a joy to get to know you better through your memoir. And if anybody who hasn't picked it up, because it's been out for a while, I say do it because it's not just an insight into Sharon Stone, but it's also a beautiful journey of forgiveness and love and family and strength and overcoming. Thank you. But it was fun to hear about your. Not fun. It was interesting to hear about your childhood, you know, growing up. I love the way you said that you guys. There were kitchen sink Irish and lace curtains. Lace curtain Irish folks. And you guys were kitchen sink Irish people. Can you talk about that? Well, they say there's kitchen sink and lace curtain. And lace curtain has lots of bathrooms. And kitchen sink has one bathroom and lots of kids. Yeah. Which means if the bathroom is in play, you pee in the kitchen sink. Right? Oh. Right? And, you know, that's it. When you've got, you know, four kids and. And a lot of action and everybody's friends over and you can't get in the bathroom. That's where it's at. Or you pee in the yard. That's the way it is. You know, and I, you know, when my kids were little and I have three boys and I was potty training and I'd be like, go pee in the bushes. They were like, you're letting your kids just pee outside and be like. It's like I grew up that way. Yes. Leave me alone. And the boys loved it, I'm sure. Of course. Boys love that kind of stuff. Yeah. Give me the bushes. Yeah. Yeah. My mom said I could pee in the bushes. It's like, ooh, I'm living life. Yes. Living large. Yes. But you grew up in Pennsylvania. But in Beverly Hills, they think you're nuts. That's really right. Like some kind of wild animal. Although, you know, you grew up in Pennsylvania. The youngest of four? No. You were in the middle. I was, my brother was, I had a brother seven years older, a brother seven years younger and a sister three years younger. So I was like, in a way, the oldest of the second batch. That's right. Okay. Right. Yeah. Can you talk about going to school and starting in second grade? Is that how that happened? Yeah. That, see, that is fascinating to me because. Thanks, Craig. I mean, clearly you're smart, but. Brilliant. To be in school at a young age, at that young age with older kids, what was that like? You know, it was, my parents, I was sort of a precocious kid, obviously. And my parents didn't quite know what to make of me. So they took me to the courthouse for a test. And then they decided to start me at second grade when I was five. What did precocious look like? What were you doing? I was walking, talking, potty trained at 10 months. Wow. Ripped my own diaper off and started telling my mother what to do. Someone bring me a diaper. Right? Mother, it's time. Oh, someone's in the bathroom. I need to use the sink. Yes, and correcting my mother's English and, you know, making my mother, like, I would say mother. You know, because that Pennsylvania, you know, in Pennsylvania people kind of talk like that. You know, going down to G-Jet. You went down by the river, got shot down by the river. Did you get something to eat? Eat something? And I said, it's something, mother. It's something. So I was in endless trouble for my opinions and ideas. Not unlike today. You've been consistent. Ugh. Christ. My dad was getting called into the school. Sharon was not staying with the class. She's not listening. She's rushing ahead. She's getting other children to do what she wants them to do. My dad was like, is this true, Sharon? He's like, yes, sir. He'd be like, good. And don't tell her not to do it anymore. There you go. Or they'll be hell to pay. And then he'd pick me up and take me out for ice cream. He was the endless encourager of my acting out. That's so cool. Were you unique among your brothers and sisters too? Or did this run in the family? But they were more compliant. And it wasn't until about, I think it was about eight years ago or nine years ago, I finally had an argument with my sister and said, I want you to take an IQ test on me. And I said, I want you to take an IQ test on me. And she said, I want you to take an IQ test on me. on the site when he was four. And because money didn't go to women, even though the money was his mom's. Well, that was giant. That was the story. That was the movie. Same thing. Yeah, yeah. It went to his 18-year-old cousin, who, of course, gambled and drank it away at the track instantly. And then his mother was destitute, took his sister and became a nurse at an insane asylum. And he and his little brother, like four and three years old, went and lived in people's barn stalls. Wow. And so my dad, to the manner born, ended up becoming this farm laborer and worked and then bought back the original family home, now somewhat in ruins, and moved into it. And so my grandmother and aunt moved back in there. And then on weekends and holidays and summers, I lived with them. Yeah. I love the way you talk about them. They made you feel special. Yes, and they were so eccentric. Yeah. Because they were this sort of fallen royalty who, of course, thought they were fantastic and thought everybody else— Was it sort of Grey Gardens-like? Were they— Not quite as nuts, but not nuts. Yeah. You know, my aunt was a— She was a painter, and she painted murals on the walls. Wow. And at the same time, my great-grandfather was sitting in the corner with a Maxwell House coffee can as a spittoon. It's like there was art and there was saliva. Right. So you talked about feeling at somewhere in this early age that you were dropped into the wrong place, that you should have been— In an urban environment. I just didn't understand. Talk about that. Yeah, talk about that. Because being that young and understanding that without seeing it, how did you know that you were destined for a different way? Just— I don't know quite how to explain the feeling that nothing ever felt familiar. Like, other people seemed to feel comfortable and at ease. And things, to me, felt— They felt super foreign. Like, why? Why are you doing that? Why do you think that's okay? Why are you accepting that as a fact? Why do you believe that just because someone says that's how it is, that it is how it is? Like, I used to look at the family pictures and think, I don't seem like everybody in this picture. Yeah. Like, it just— It just seemed like, it doesn't— You're saying that, but I don't believe that. I would disagree with my teacher. I would come in with research to say, this is really not true. Or something would be marked on my test as incorrect. Oh, my God. And I would bring in research and say, I don't— Who does she sound like, Craig? I don't think you're right. Did you do that? Oh, my goodness. I mean, it's just interesting hearing you talk. Now, I never got— I never got tested. I don't think I have, you know, I'm not Mensa or anything like that. No, absolutely, probably not. But who cares? She's not. She's not. It's like, Craig's like, clearly, she's not. Are you my brother? You must be my brother. But one thing, when I hear you talk, it's like this just feeling of knowing a thing about yourself. I like to talk to young people who may have this same feeling. And I think that women globally face this when you know, and you know you know, and then people tell you, I'm not interested in what you know. That's right. That's right. So talk about when you decided to get out of there and start your own life. I was probably as tall as the table, but I didn't pull it off till I was— Until I was about 15. It's like, when I can drive and feed myself, I'm out of here. I'm weaving now. I'm weaving. But when I was 15, I started to college. And I realized they had summer programs. Okay. Which meant I could never have to come home again. Yeah. And you were like, sign me up. I'm like, I'll be studying now. Right. I am so academic, you can't even believe it. Right. I'm the most academic person you've ever met. Watch this. Well, you talk quite eloquently and, you know, sadly about that code of silence and not talking about things and the damage that it causes. I mean, you even talked about, you know, how growing up, our generation of mothers and grandmothers didn't even prepare us. We didn't know what to do for life, for sexual health. Is that boy bothering you? Yeah. Is that man bothering you? Get over here. Mm-hmm. That was the whole extent— Yeah. —of the conversation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, when you went to college, finally had a boyfriend, a relationship, you talk about how you got pregnant, had to have an abortion because you didn't even— I didn't know I was pregnant. Right. Right. Can you talk more about that? Well, imagine you're 17, you're in college, my boyfriend was 23, was an engineer on the railroad, an electrician on the railroad, which was, in our town, a very tony job, right? Yeah. It was a super high-paying job. I mean, he had a fancy car, a fancy motorcycle, his own place. He was a regular employment, and being an electrician on the railroad was, like, top drawer, right? Yeah. But he didn't have any knowledge or information that I should have some kind of birth control. Mm-hmm. And I had no—like, when I tell you I could have been the girl who gave birth in the bathroom stall— I don't mean to laugh, but— No, I laugh. I laugh. Right. Right. I laugh because when I tell— When I tell you, no one— Because it was him who noticed that you were, you know, putting on a little— Weight. Putting on a little weight. My parents thought I was the freshman 15. Right. Right. Like, no clue. And when I tell you, like, no one told me, like, this is how you have your period. Yeah. Yeah. This is what a tampon—look, they didn't test tampons on human blood until 2026. Wasn't that—that's crazy. They tested females. And they tested male hormones on men because it was more consistent. We didn't do medical research on women OBGYN really until the 2000s. And now we don't want to give women care, OBGYN care, and we want to prosecute women for having a miscarriage? That's right. What kind of arcane bullshit is this? Yeah. If men would be pregnant, you could get an abortion from a vending machine. Exactly. There would be the birth Olympics, you know? Men would film themselves going into labor and honoring their pain and, you know, it would be—there would be trophies given, you know? Well done, dude. Bop. You really, you know, you did that without an epidural. There you go. Right. You win. Yeah, what do you— What's that over there? What? Stop. How did you end up in New York? Moving on. Moving on. This is why we don't get help, you know? They're like, well, I'm bored with this conversation. Let's talk about sports. Moving on. I didn't switch to sports. Not yet. Not yet. I was like, we were just getting started, weren't we, Sharon? That's right, ma'am. Mm-mm-mm. Well. I went to New York on this other happy subject when my brother went to prison, Craig. I went to New York because my brother went to Attica in the late 70s, turn to the 80, where the cocaine business started. They started trafficking cocaine into America, and they were trying to get my brother into that business. How did he even wind up being connected with people in the— This is the part I didn't know and have really tried to not know too much. Got it. Because my brother was in the service when he was very young, 18. Okay. He was in the Air Force, and he was in a crew chief, a jet mechanic. And it was Vietnam. Okay. Right? Then he had his car up on a hydraulic at the base. He jumped out of the back of the car. of his car and ripped off his finger. It was caught in the trunk latch on his ring and he ripped off his finger. And he ended up in an amputee ward with the people who had really bad amputations. And these guys were heavily into drugs. They were all sitting out smoking weed on the porch of this hospital. And then more drugs were coming in. I don't know, but I think that's where it might have started. Okay. Because ultimately, when he started to then get into this cocaine business, I told my boyfriend, if you get into this business, you're not going to be getting into me. It's going to be over. There will be no me involved in this. And he did not get into it. But my brother got very into cocaine. And he was transporting cocaine. My brother was an expert golfer. And he was going around to golf courses as posing as a golf pro and collecting golf clubs that had drugs in bags and clubs and all this stuff. He was deep in. It was very deep and doing all kinds of things. And it caused, it put you guys in danger. Well, eventually he was arrested with 15 kilos of cocaine in a hotel room. And the FBI arrested him the day before Christmas on television. And it was a very big deal. He was over the state line into New York because he had a house in a place called Finley Lake, New York. And it was a nightmare. It was a nightmare for our family. What did that do to your dad, this upstanding, no nonsense? My dad stayed super steady, steady Eddie. And it was incredibly dangerous. Like at a level, because people were threatening my brother from a couple of different sides. Because apparently the two sides of where the drugs were coming from and going to were so big that the people who were prosecuting him wanted to break my brother to say one side or the other. And either side would have had him or our family wiped out. Wow. To the point where my dad and my younger brother were at home and people in full black Kevlar and ski masks came over our front yard with automatic weapons at one point. Wow. And my brother and my dad punched out the front of their gun cabinet and started shooting out the kitchen window. Oh my God. At whoever these people were that no one ever came to know who they were. And the police didn't get involved. No one came. And nobody came. No one came. Wow. My dad and my brother were shooting the shotgun out the kitchen window at these unidentified, just fully rigged out people, which ended that. But my brother ended up being tried, getting 15 to life and being sent to Attica. And my mother was like, that's it. You always wanted to go. You can go. It's okay. You can go. You were fleeing. And she had seen Merv Griffin on having Eileen Ford as the guest. And she said, we're going to go. And we didn't know where to go. We were such country bumpkins. We went and we were looking in the phone book. Where do you go walking the streets? So becoming a model, that wasn't in your sights. Not at all. Wow. Not even a little bit. Wow. But my mom thought, it's something you could do because I wanted to be a director or an actress. Had you finished college by then? How were you? Yeah. No. And my teachers, particularly my writing teacher was like, I don't want to sign this. You're going to be an amazing writer. You shouldn't quit. You should not quit. I am really hard pressed to sign this. And I didn't want to tell him why. I was really trying. We were all trying. We were trying to sort of keep a lid on it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This episode of IMO is brought to you by our sponsor, Midi Health. I mean, it's literally, you wake up dripping in sweat in the middle of the night, unless the room is at a certain temperature. And even when it is, that's a part of the perimenopausal, menopausal process. That was probably the first part of the perimenopausal process. That was probably the first sign for me that, what's going on here? You know, why am I waking up with my sheets soaked? And, you know, and what do I need to do to prevent that? Sleep is a big one with or without hot flashes. You know, skin and hair changes, vaginal dryness. There's sort of a big picture of things. And about 20% of women don't actually have severe hot flashes, night sweats. But they all, 100% of women, go through perimenopause and menopause. 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I was being threatened. You're, you're aware. but your whole life is turned upside down. Your dreams of who you could be, where you were headed with writing and art and all those things, you had to sort of walk away from that and start doing a career that was not your choosing. Did you feel resentful? Were you afraid? I went with $50. I had $50 and a suitcase. I lived in a fourth or fifth floor walk-up on Elizabeth and Houston, which then had a Texaco station across the street. We're talking extreme poverty. No, I was so excited. And so thrilled. And I was just going to make it. Whatever. I was just going to make it. I mean, I bought roller skates at a used thrift store because I couldn't afford cabs or subways. And I roller skated top to bottom of New York so that I could- Get to your- And I hit every phone booth for change that people would leave and collected leftover dimes, nickels, and quarters. Every phone booth. I hit every phone booth to collect change and found a lot of change. And sometimes I went with my roommate and I would distract the- I'm embarrassed about it now. But I would distract the cashier while my roommate stole food to eat. I'm shamed. No. I'm embarrassed. I'm crying. Don't be ashamed. Oh, my gosh. Please don't be ashamed. But I did. I distracted the cashier. But you were surviving. So that we could steal food to eat. You were surviving. You were surviving. I mean, my God. I mean, but this is- It's a big part of why I give back. Yeah. I want to give back way more than they took. Yeah. Because I'm embarrassed and ashamed that I stole. But I did. My gosh. I stole to eat. Well, and it's also, that's a hard thing, you know, because that was a- No, that's not true. And there's a lot to say in front of you. Oh, my gosh. Because I admire you so much. Oh, my God. No. It's a lot to say. I mean, I am- Sorry. We are both on this journey of survival. Sort of getting where you were, the context, and what you had to do to just keep it going. Yeah. I also came to New York with a pretty freaking amazing work ethic, you know? I mean, that was always, that was always what I loved. It's like your dad had you out selling pots and pans door to door when you were a little kid. Christmas cards. I mean, everybody always had to work. Mowing lawns, washing cars. So you go to New York, young, brilliant, and having that hustle mentality, understanding that I've got to survive. I got to make it. You know? You're leaving a threat to your life back. You know, you couldn't go home. You know? Your parents didn't want you to go home. No. And here you are, a kid in New York, starting out in the modeling career. You know, it's like, yeah, this is how people get desperate. Yes. And how bad things happen to good people. Yes. It happens every day. Yes. You know, it happens to people of all races and all backgrounds. And people, I think it's important for you to tell the story of who you had to be. And when I work with girls. Because there isn't shame in it, you know? And again, you were lucky enough that you were pretty. I was, wow, so lucky. And that you were white. So lucky. You know? Because my first job, I got $5,000. There you go. You want to talk about that? And what did that be? You go from getting change out of the phone booth to. And I started, I got $5,000 a day. Yeah. I got signed by Eileen Ford into what's called special bookings, which was what became supermodels. Yeah. What Cindy and Cindy Crawford and Naomi and all those girls were the next generation, and they were supermodels. Oh my God. And I started making $5,000 a day. And that's how you. That's how you wound up going to Europe. Yeah. And were you able to develop a career out there? Yes, I developed a career and an Italian boyfriend. That's always good. Yes. That's fun. That was really fun. That's a good payoff. Oh, yeah. You're still my dearest friend. Yeah. That's nice. So when did you go out to Hollywood? Or when did you get into movies? And how did all of that take place? I would go to these open casting. I would go to these open castings on my roller skates. Were you still. So you kept roller skates from New York? Were you in New York? Yes. You were in New York. Okay. And I met an extra casting guy named Riccardo Bertoni. And he's the guy who discovered Sly. Oh, okay. He had read Rocky. And he was like, this is the greatest script. This guy has got to get this movie made. He really believed in Sly. And he was banging around trying to get Rocky made, right? And he's like, I know this guy, this Sylvester Stallone. And he's like, you two are going to make it. And he called me and said there was a casting for extras for this Woody Allen movie. And I should skate over. That was Juliet Taylor was casting this thing. They come over to me and they say, look, you're not going to make with us what you'd make modeling. But Woody. And Gordon think that you really have it. They think you have what it takes to make it in film. And they'd like to offer you a couple more weeks on the film, but you won't make the same. They want to know if you're interested. You bet. You bet I am. They're like, they're going to expand your part if you want to stay. I'm like, I want to stay. So they start expanding the part. And then I have this scene where I'm on the train and they want me to blow him. And I kiss. And so I do this thing and I kiss against the window and I do the thing. And Woody comes up to the window and he goes, no, I want you to do it like you're really kissing me. Oh, God. And I'm like. That line is not aging well. It didn't. It didn't. But at the time I was like. Okay. Okay. Sure. Right. And so that stayed in the movie. And then I got to keep staying. And I did two more movies. Mm-hmm. With Woody. How were you feeling like you were developing as a young woman? I'd go off for jobs and I wasn't getting them. I was always like one of two or three, but not the winner. Yeah. And finally, I knew this guy that was sort of in our friend group, but he was the guy that never wanted to pay the bill. He was like the one where the bill would come and he'd be like, my part is $4.32. Yeah, we all know that. We all know that guy, right? And one day he said to me, I know the acting teacher you should go to. I said, oh, do you? And he said, let me tell you this. If he doesn't change your life, I will pay for your acting lessons. Wow. And I was like, you, you will pay my acting lessons. He goes, I will pay. I'm like, you don't pay your own lunch. You'll pay my acting lessons. He goes, I will. I'll pay for them. Mm-hmm. I'm like, I want it in writing. He's like, I will. I'll pay. I'm like, I'll go. And I went to this guy and I took some private lessons from him and I did the class. And then finally, one day he was like, you graduated. There's no more for you. And I was like, but I'm not good and I didn't get it. I don't want you to overwork it. Because you were an overworker. I overworked. Mm-hmm. I'm sure like you can't relate to this, but the extra trying, the working too hard, the studying too much for a test. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It doesn't ring any bells. Now, these guys here are, they are sick of my preparation. You see all these cards. And all the assignments of what you have to have done so I feel ready. Exactly. Yeah. That you never even use. Uh-huh. Yeah. Well, oh no, I use everything. Yeah. But they don't see you using it, so it doesn't make sense. That's right. Right. So, I sit into this scene and I'm playing the Jack Lemmon part. Mm-hmm. And I sit into this scene and suddenly I'm seeing this person across the table in the scene like, mm. Mm-hmm. And this person talks and I'm like, mm, I don't think so. Mm-hmm. And suddenly it's like I'm moving them around on a chessboard. Like I'm moving them through this labyrinth to where I want them to go. And it's almost effortless in this very weird way. weird way, right? I'm doing this scene. And we finished the scene and the room is like, you could hear a pin drop. And I look at my teacher and he's like this. Yeah. And he looks around at the class like this. And he looks at me and he goes, what have we learned? And I said that I am enough. Wow. And he looks around and he goes, well, you've graduated. Class dismissed. Wow. Two weeks later, I got basic instinct. What did that feel like for you, that process of getting to that point of I'm enough? And what work were you doing to unpack? What did you unpack in that process? Being assigned the female role. I was done jumping through hoops, proving my value, proving my worth. No, that's absolutely fascinating. And as somebody outside of Hollywood, like most of our listeners are, you get to that point where you're like, I'm not needy anymore. I'm doing my thing. I feel good. I have the power. The sort of total recall basic instinct casino. And then all of a sudden, crickets. Well, I thought about this and I was given a lot of time to think about it. Like, how come crickets? Yeah. How come crickets? Right. How come you could be so good in one of the better movies of ever? Ever. Yeah. Of all time. Where's your next possibly Oscar contender part? Why? Where did you? Why not? Yeah. I'm afraid I do not have the answers. I do not have the answers to that. But I do understand that I did something that wasn't done before and hasn't been done again. That I went into the boys club and changed the dynamic. Bob De Niro said to me specifically, Look, my part, Sharon, is a reactive character. Everything about my character depends on you. I must know that you are going to give it to me if we hire you. Because if you don't, I am fucked and the movie's fucked. You have to promise me. And I said, of course. But you have to understand that if I did it to you in the audition. Wait, hold on, hold on. Are you telling me this is casino? I'm telling the listeners. Yes, this is casino. And if I didn't do it, I said, if I did it in the audition, you wouldn't like me. Yeah. And you wouldn't hire me. And my behavior would seem so outrageous that you might think I'm crazy. I'm afraid to do it in the audition process. That's crazy. I just don't know who you are. What line to walk. Yeah. In the audition process. And he said, okay, I can see that. And he said, okay, so there's one more step. You have to come in. You have to get approved by Frank, by the guy, the real guy, the guy he was playing. It was contractually obligated. Oh, right. That the guy, the real husband, had to approve who played my character. And I said, I can do that. And he said, you really got to do it. And I said, you can really count on me. And so they brought him to California into a very, very small suite. And the part that I was brought into had a very small L-shaped sofa. And he was sitting in the small part of the L, this man. And did you know? De Niro and Scorsese were standing in the corner beyond him when I entered the room. And I came as the character. Completely as the character. I came in an extremely inappropriate dress with my hair in a ponytail up here in a big bow. With a dress that had like almost flower thing on the bottom. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. bust, a sundress. It's like, see me. Yes. And really fitted sundress, like just a full-on hustler, as a hustler. And I opened the door and didn't really come in. I stood at the door like, I'm here. You're lucky to see me, right? And I waited for the man to ask me to come in, not them. And he was sitting on the couch with his legs spread very far apart as those kind of men do, right? Where they sit like that, like big. And he took a pack of cigarettes out from his inside pocket and was hitting them on his hand. And I walked over and said, you got one for me? And he went, yeah. And he took one out of his pocket and handed it to me. And I leaned over and put my hand on his hand and said, yeah, I got one for you. And he took one out of his pocket and put my hands on his thighs like this and leaned in and said, light me up, put it in my mouth and said, light me up like that and leaned into his face. And he lit my cigarette. And I saw Bob and Marty look at each other like, what? Who is she? Who is this? It's like, where's Sharon? What's going on? And then I took only one hand off his leg, left the other one on his thigh and turned and sat down next to him and kept my hand on his thigh. And I was like, the hustle is on. Right, really? I'm here to get what I need. I am the hustler that married him. And I am going to hustle him till he marries me into this part. And I sat down and had a smoke with him and then told him how terrific it was to meet him and got up and left and never spoke to Bob or Marty. Oh, wow. Yes. Like they weren't even there. Wow. Oh, man, this is great. Wow. We just got to give even the description of that audition. It's just like, damn, girl. I was like, you want to know if I can play the part? It's like, I am the part. I am fucking enough. I came in to hustle you and pick you up. Wow. I did not come in to get the part. I came in to hustle you for a cigarette in an afternoon. It's wild to think about how much harder it was to start a business 20 years ago. Just figuring out what to do, how to do it, or whom to ask for help could be a challenge in itself. Now you've got all this information at your fingertips. And even the platform you use to build your business can help guide you. Shopify is basically your home base for starting and growing a business online. 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Head to Wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Wayfair. Every style, every home. So you won the award in that audition. Yeah. So it was just like. So. I think that when. I think I know what the outcome will be at the end of this Oscar season. I mean, they, I think they were a little bit like that. I, when I just came, continually came unfurled on set, I think they were all kind of, there were days when I saw Bob talking to Marty going. Did you see that? And Marty would go, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's happening. You want to be like, now do you have something? Do you have something to play off of? Well, you know, he's the greatest living actor. There was no, it's all the only person. But you were also keep it, you were going toe to toe. Well, when I met my acting teacher and he said, what is it you really want to do? I said, I want to be able to sit down opposite Robert De Niro and hold my own. That was it. That was my dream. That was my goal. I never dreamed it would be in a Scorsese movie. But, you know, Bob said, I want to be able to sit down opposite Robert De Niro and hold my own. That was the greatest actor alive. That was it. I mean, it was my dream. And the fact that I did it, I think, again, a woman, I think that's outside of the code. And do you think you were punished for that? You know. And that's my word, so. You know, there is no punishment that could take away the fact that I got to work. With the greatest living actor, with the greatest living director, in one of the greatest screenplays by Nick Pelleggi. Yeah. Because you can say and do whatever you want. I've already died once. It doesn't matter. It's going to be there long beyond us. So it doesn't really matter. Well said. Because it is. It just is. Well said. Well said. People will say to me, you know, you need to do. You need to do this because people don't take you seriously. And I think, you know, what do you need from me to be taken seriously? The problem is you, not my seriousness. I'm as serious as it can get. Take it or don't take it. I don't really. Do I care? No. Do you want to punish me, like me, love me, hate me, talk about me, don't like me? Honestly, you may find this relatable. It's not about me. There you go. There's that wisdom. That you started out with. It's just not about me. There's that wisdom. It's about the fact that I did something that you hadn't seen a woman do before more than once. And it threw you for a loop. It's throwing you. You're just not used to it. Now, talking about, you know, we talk about our parents all the time. We talk about parenting all the time. How did becoming a parent change the way you related to your career? I'm such a lucky mommy. Well, I always wanted to adopt kids. I remember 14 realizing I wanted to adopt kids and starting to research how. And I have three boys. Two of them are biological brothers a year apart. When you adopt children, you have to be prepared that there's always going to be something. And it is going to be the greatest thing that ever happened to you. If you dig in and do it. Whatever it takes, the therapy, the whatever that you go through as a family is going to be the most growth, wisdom, freedom, liberation. Developing as a parent is so expansive. Because truly, we don't know anything about parenting when we have kids. No, we don't. And I've been able to say to my kids, look, I've never been a parent before. I don't know what this. I'm just trying some stuff on. Yeah, I don't know this right here. I never even heard of this before. So your recovery process from your stroke. Mm-hmm. You know, because we are running out of time. The learning that you talk about from that process is beautiful. You know, your relationship to Buddhism, your embracing of understanding death. You know, it's such a good question. While I was able to get my mom a lot of therapy and different people to talk to, she died with her shame intact. Mm-hmm. And because of that, and because she and my sister had, at one point, really encouraged me to write my book. Mm-hmm. And said, oh, when you write it, we'll all go on Oprah together and we'll all talk about it. And then when I wrote it, they were like, we can't believe you did that. Mm-hmm. Right? How could you do that? Mm-hmm. Because the idea of it and then the actuality of it. Are two very different things. Very different things. Especially when there hasn't been healing and work. Well, you know, she died at my house a year ago in March. And when I was alone with her, she would wildly confess so much of what had happened to her. Wow. Things she had never told anyone. Mm-hmm. And much of it that I don't. That I don't think that would be fair to tell the world. And I'd seen it in many places, but it's harder to recognize when it's you. Mm-hmm. That the person, the person is meanest to is the person they feel the safest with. Mm-hmm. Right? And at a certain point, I had to realize, oh, my God, that person is me. Mm-hmm. That's me. Yeah. And she's not going to die unless I leave. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I have to leave. Yeah. I have to go away. Mm-hmm. So many people have a difficult time in our culture embracing death and what it means. And it seems like your experiences have given you some really unique tools. It's a beautiful thing. Yeah. I've seen it a lot of times. I think my mom's was the hardest one I've seen. Yeah. But usually, it's a beautiful thing. And I see people really enjoying it. And I can say, I don't think we should be afraid of death at all. I think we should feel like it's a warm bath of goodness. Well, I think that's a good note. Yeah, that's a happy note. That's what I want to be. I want to be the happy death person. That's how I want you to remember me. Let's just kick with that. No, Sharon, we can do some good. We can do some good because we have a listener question where we can help some folks out. So we don't have to end on the happy death. All right. Who's our listener question? So this is Agnes. Dear Michelle and Craig, I'm 50 years old. And recently had a major health event. I had a close call with a cancer diagnosis. And since then, I have had a major shift in my outlook on life. Once I was out of the danger zone, I quit my job, retired early, and now I'm traveling the world. My children and loved ones are worried about me, especially with me leaving a job I've had for over 20 years. My son calls me careless, and my marriage is straining, especially as my husband now feels he's bearing the burden of our family's finances. How do I help? How do I help them understand that this is the real me and that I'm trying to live my life to its fullest? This is from Agnes from Vermont. Well, Agnes, first of all, I would like to say to you, congratulations on your recovery. And I would also like to say it's not your responsibility to give your family understanding. It is your family's responsibility to get their own understanding. Hear, hear. It is your responsibility to get your understanding for yourself. And if your responsibility makes it uncomfortable for your family to participate in your life, that'll be their decision. The only understanding that is your responsibility is for you to understand that you may lose their regular participation in your journey. That there will be consequences to the decisions that you're making. And that you will have to bear. And that you will have to bear the consequences of these decisions. You can't make them understand something that's so foreign to them. Because they haven't shared this defining experience that you have. And people who take their life for granted can be very judgy. It sounds like your other vocation, no matter how wonderful it may have been, is something you thrived in and were good at. But now, you're really good at something that is bigger. What you have to recognize, Agnes, and when you go to France, you'll be Agnes, is that you will find yourself having new names, new associates, and you'll be new. And that'll be exciting. What you will miss, what you will lose, what will hurt, is the familiarity of those four corners. You'll be able to visit them, but you won't be able to stay. Wow. I mean, I just, my, the analogy I use and have often used when you are growing is like that, a climb up Mount Everest. Yes. You know, and then like everybody starts out at base camp excited about the climb, right? Everybody wants to get to the top. Because it sounds exciting, right? But then you start the climb and people come to the climb with different skills and abilities. Like some people didn't train, you know? Right. Some people get altitude sickness. They don't even know that they're not ready for the climb, right? But then you start climbing and you hit the first summit and some people fall off, you know? And you can't stay with them if you want to get to the top. Because there's something for you. There's something for you at the top. Exactly. But that means you've got to leave somebody at that first summit and you go to the next summit. The same thing happens. Well, and the other thing that you can do when you get to the top is look for ways to help those who didn't make it. Now, they may not get to the top, right? Yes. But they can get further than they would have. Well, you can say, go over there. Take that path. Oh, don't go there. You'll fall off. Yeah. But there are people who. They won't listen. Right. And there are people who will be mad at you. That's right. For not hauling them up. For not pushing them. That's right. For not yanking them. For not carrying their bags. And that may be what Agnes will have to go through with her family. You know, it may not be a total leave behind, but she can only do what she can to help them understand where and why she's going. We're in the direction that she's going. Right. You know? She's taking a bite out of life. Yeah. Yeah. You know, in my world, I have survived being like a Marilyn Monroe, right? Or something. These women before me did not survive it. Right? That's right. I have great admiration for them. Yeah. But they weren't allowed to survive it. Right. I was not allowed to survive it, and I did. Wow. That's. That's very powerful. I think that's a mic drop. response to a listener question right there. Sharon Stone. To quote the master, Obama out. I love you. Thank you so much. I could listen to you forever. Oh my God. You did not disappoint. Yes. Well, look who's talking. You are, you know, you're one of one. Your body is always changing and those changes can feel like a lot to navigate alone. Weight that won't budge, skin that starts to show signs of change, hair loss, mood swings. Maybe you're just a little bit more of a man. Maybe you're just a little bit more of a woman. Maybe you're just a little bit more of a woman.