Sharon Stone has long been one of my heroes - ever since “that scene” in Basic Instinct back in 1992. It caused huge controversy at the time: a split-second upskirt shot that garnered acres of publicity for this fierce actor, ultimately turning her into a feminist icon.
The academic Camille Paglia hailed it as “one of the great performances by a woman in screen history”, calling Stone’s character, Catherine Tramell, “a great vamp figure, like Mona Lisa herself, like a pagan goddess”. However you interpret that scene now, there’s no denying that Stone is still a talented performer, a ferocious intellect and a vocal PRO AGE advocate.
Stone, who’s 67, finds herself in a similar position to many of us in midlife. In August, she told The Guardian that her mother had recently died, her children had left home, and she was wondering what came next. But “I’m having a fun time. All of a sudden, the kids are out and I’m, like, ‘Now what am I going to do?’ I think going back to work is what’s happening.”
Empty-nesting can be tough: the lack of purpose we feel with no one at home to cherish can be the cause of great sadness. I know I’ve felt it as my girls have come and gone. Mothering is a paradox: you put all your energies into raising these wonderful human beings, and your reward is that they leave you - something you’ve been preparing them for their whole lives. So what comes next?
It’s a time to pivot: shift your energy towards a new outlet - find a new baby, if you will. For me, that has been Studio10 and the PRO AGE movement. For Stone, that’s a new film, Nobody 2. It’s a glass-half-full moment - but even an empty glass can have its positives: “It can get refilled, right? Sometimes an empty glass is what you need.”
Stone embraces her ferocious intellect - and she isn’t averse to challenging the status quo: “Within society, we have never said a woman can be beautiful and smart. And kind. And nice. And funny. And a mom. And the breadwinner. No, no, no, no. She couldn’t be all those things, because then, oh my God, she would be equal to a man! If I was beautiful and smart and nice, what would happen to society?”
Of course, we know that society isn’t just sexist - it’s ageist too. That’s the grim double whammy. Stone has recalled being told she was “too old” for many roles at the age of 40. But now, she looks back at photos of herself at that age with a deep fondness. That’s the message, isn’t it? Celebrate your life - wherever you are. And if your glass feels half-empty, fill it up to the brim.
