Sharon Stone: “My basic instinct is work”

She never seemed to lose heart. Sharon Stone – a star by status, a divorced mother of two small (adopted) sons by marital status, an activist against AIDS by the call of the soul – meets her 48th birthday with the premiere of the second “Basic Instinct”, an advertising contract with Dior and her own first book, already a bestseller.

It also seems that she has never looked better than now. It’s like those agonizing seven years are behind us – with failed films and professional mistakes, personal problems and family breakdown, unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant and a severe brain hemorrhage. We saw her on the eve of the new, now come year, in her family nest in Beverly Hills, California. Goddess, diva, vamp? Nothing like this. A real Christmas picture: caring mother Sharon and her sons are busy around the Christmas tree. She tries to lift five-year-old Roan higher so that he fastens a star on a branch, and nearby, seven-month-old Layard, in his runners, is concentrating on shiny toys … There is nothing (well, almost nothing) in this woman from that irresistible, sexy and aggressive Stone, who mixed- breeding their endless legs with the main special effect of the cinema of the 90s. To Sharon today, the scene of interrogation of her character from the first film, to put it mildly, is not close: “Repeat something like this in Basic Instinct 2? No, that would be vulgar.”

Briefly and clearly

Как популярность влияет на человека?

Делает его взрослее.

Подчеркнутая сексуальность – преимущество для женщины?

… But all the actresses who showed it died! But I’m going to stay alive.

The most comfortable place in the world for you?

Set.

Do you like people who are confident?

Haven’t met those.

The most beautiful woman in the world?

Ava Gardner. She always looked like a woman and did not try to remain an eternal girl.

What is the most difficult thing for you?

Be part of a team.

What is the fundamental difference between men and women?

Women can fake an orgasm, while men can fake relationships in general.

Your personal slogan?

There are three of them. Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called “Like Mom’s”. Never go to bed with someone who has more problems than you.

How would you like to leave this world?

And I always liked the words of Dylan Thomas: “Do not go gentle into that good night” (“Do not go out, leaving in the darkness of the night”).

Psychologies: Вы часто говорите, что в свои 40 с лишним чувствуете себя более уверенной и красивой, чем в 20 лет. Почему? Красота имеет свойство накапливаться с возрастом?

Sharon Stone: As we grow older, we acquire a certain wisdom, and common sense, and elegance, and even grace. And, if you like, character. It seems to me that for a long time I did not really live – rather, I solved the problems brought from childhood. By the age of 40, you get tired of it. I want to start living my own life. Middle age is a wonderful time! No prejudice and full willingness to experiment. Although… the most beautiful woman I have ever met was 80!

Dior has chosen you as the face of a new beauty line for middle-aged women. Is it easy to like yourself on the threshold of your 50th birthday?

Sh .: Age has nothing to do with it – I have had the same breast size all my life! (Laughs.) But seriously… You have to choose – there’s nothing you can do about it! If you don’t want to have a huge ass, put in the effort. Refuse desserts, walk so that an extra couple of kilograms does not turn into seven … I know very well how this happens. When I was 30, between films, I calmly allowed myself to gain weight. And somehow I decided to make myself a birthday present – I dropped three sizes at once and kept the new weight. I am convinced that not only appearance, but our whole life is largely the result of our own efforts. After all, discipline is freedom. I want to be free.

Your book Something To Hold is about guardian angels. You claim that they exist and help everyone, regardless of their faith. You haven’t discussed spiritual topics before…

Sh .: Многое изменилось. Я объехала почти весь мир с Американским фондом исследований в области СПИДа. Разговаривала с инфицированными, их семьями, друзьями и социальными работниками. Знакомилась с учеными, которые работают по семь дней в неделю, не выходя из лабораторий и не видя своих домашних, – чтобы спасать больных. Так много людей ежедневно имеют дело с горем и страданием! Что я могу сделать для них? Ничего! Со мной ездила моя лучшая подруга Мими Крейвен. Вернувшись домой после всех этих хосписов, приютов, детдомов и лабораторий, мы с ней просто сели и разрыдались. А потом решили, что должны как-то наглядно показать этим людям свое участие и поддержку. Так и родилась эта книга. Мими нашла великолепные фото с изображением скульптур ангелов, а я написала свои комментарии. В них то, над чем я думала долгие годы, о чем говорила с людьми, что мне кажется важным.

А что привело вас в фонд?

Sh .: I think fate. AIDS touched me personally: because of it, I lost loved ones. And I am very proud that I could be useful at least to someone.

You write that guardian angels are involved in our lives. Have you had personal experience?

Sh .: I had a brain hemorrhage. I do not think that I would have remained alive without the intervention of a guardian angel.

Вы говорили о своей болезни в позитивном смысле. Как она изменила ваше отношение к жизни?

Sh .: It was like an awakening. I thought: this is it, the end. And the second thing I thought: did I live my life the way I wanted? Have you made the decisions you really wanted to make? I encountered what is called the word “it” – the border, the unknowable. You know, there’s an old cowboy song, Just a Closer Walk with Thee. “You” in this case is God. After my illness, my whole life became a “walk with You”.

В свет выходит «Основной инстинкт 2: Жажда риска», продолжение фильма, который вас прославил. Почему вы решили вернуться к роли Кэтрин Трамелл?

Sh .: Особых причин нет. Это просто работа.

Но ведь именно «Основной инстинкт» стал поворотным моментом в вашей судьбе?

Sh .: Yes, I fully understand that. Before the film was shown at the festival in 92, I was, as we say, Who’s that girl? (“Who’s that girl?”). And then immediately became a star and … a star in the role, as we say again, the bitch, bitches. The next day, everything was taken out of my room in a luxurious Cannes hotel, down to my toothbrush. Of course, I am proud and grateful to the fate for the glory brought by “Basic Instinct”, but … My destiny is work. I come from a very humble family with Irish roots. Mom did housework, and also distributed Avon cosmetics, dad worked in a factory. Everything in our family was strict: we, four children, appeared for dinner exactly when it was said, and got up from the table when dad said that dinner was over. My parents professed the principle: if you have a chance to work, then work hard! By the way, my father was a real feminist in this matter. He never inspired me with the idea that a woman is limited in her abilities or flawed in terms of her career. For the working environment, such views are a position!

The main thing Basic Instinct has given you is…

Sh .: Он помог мне обрести уверенность в себе. Я никогда не считала себя достаточно красивой и целеустремленной, чтобы стать кинозвездой. По-настоящему я никогда не была ребенком. В школу пошла, когда мне было пять лет. Хорошо помню, как забивалась с фонариком в дальний угол квартиры, где меня никто не видел, и подолгу сидела там с книжкой. Ни победа в местном конкурсе красоты, ни съемки в рекламе, ни первые роли в кино не освободили меня от комплекса неполноценности. После «Инстинкта» я поверила в себя и в то, что мной можно даже восхищаться! Но тут жизнь незамедлительно дала мне понять, что у известности и славы есть и другая сторона. Понимаете, бывают полосы темные и светлые, но иногда в жизни все происходит одновременно. В самые ужасные периоды случаются самые потрясающие вещи и наоборот…

What’s wrong with your success?

Sh .: Я потерялась. Неожиданно оказалось, что знаменитость принадлежит себе не совсем. Статус звезды – это роскошь, блеск, сенсации, вспышки. Суета. В последующие годы я совершила много ошибок – и в выборе фильмов, и в выборе себя, если так можно сказать. Я боялась – что-то упустить, чего-то не сделать, за чем-то не угнаться, чего-то не испытать. Ну и пострадала от этого во всех смыслах – и профессионально, и душевно, и физически. Короче, это был трудный период. Провалы в кино и в личной жизни. После нескольких неудач студии не хотели иметь со мной дела. Мой агент утверждал, что я должна сняться в «Женщине-кошке». Он говорил: тебе надо появиться в блокбастере, иначе ты уже никогда не получишь новых ролей. Я согласилась, но это ничего не изменило. Потому что меняться должно что-то внутри, а не в обстоятельствах. Я часто спрашивала себя: зачем я веду такую жизнь? И не могла от нее отказаться. Но настал момент, когда я решила превратить пропащего человека, которым стала, в победительницу. И теперь возрождаюсь, как феникс.

What helped you?

Sh .: Я поняла одну вещь: если вы переживаете личную драму, отдайте больше сил, энергии, эмоций, денег, в конце концов, другим людям. Это лучший способ преодолеть кризис.

You once said, “Men have never dated me because I am too much of a nuisance.” Do you like to cause trouble?

Sh .: Before, I would have said so. Now it seems to me that being with someone is a serious responsibility. Because partnerships are reality, not fantasy. And I’m real.

Which is better – marriage or free partnership?

Sh .: Both are suitable – with a kind person. But kindness is the hardest thing to find.

Is family important to you?

Sh .: Faith and family are two things that have helped me get through what I’ve been through. My children, my sister Kelly, her husband Bruce, parents. And also the closest friends – our relationship is 20 years old. In fact, this is also a family. They are everything to me.

What does a movie star really need?

Sh .: Three things: an unknown address, friends who knew you before you became a star, and people who love you enough to tell you to your face that you are shit. And yet, like all people, you need to train your soul. Going to museums, going abroad, noticing passers-by on the streets, looking at the sunset – and really seeing its color and light. Chat with unusual people. Avoid those who speak banalities – that’s how I am now!

You have a second son, Layard. Is your experience as a mother with your first one, Roan, any different from your current experience?

Sh .: Two children or ten – there is no difference, I am convinced of this. I run around the house like a scalded one: one is crying, the second is clutching his leg, and the phone is ringing, and the nanny is late … Thank God, she is – it’s a luxury when someone helps. Having children is like living on a burning volcano. Although my sons are, of course, the best in the world. They are smart and gentle and funny. My family believes that children are the best thing I have done in my life. Children, not “Basic Instinct” at all.

Private bussiness