The Tamesis
It’s a clear spring morning in Los Angeles, and Sharon Stone appears on my computer screen. Dressed in jeans and a baggy white T-shirt that read “Dear Pressure, Let’s Break Up,” she was as dazzling as the first time I played Ginger MyKenna in a Martin Scorsese film. casino (and instantly fell in love). In a few weeks, she will attend the world premiere of her next project, Cristian Mungiu, at the Cannes Film Festival fjord. But today, it’s just us (even though we’re miles apart).
She took me — or her laptop, with me on the screen — on a tour of her home. We stopped by her studio, a vast room where the actress resumed the hobby of her youth – painting. Now she is a critically acclaimed abstract artist. She’s also a mother, a stroke survivor (she suffered a massive hemorrhage in 2001 and endured a seven-year battle to recover), and more.
You’ve inspired generations of women—maybe because you don’t seem to feel the pressure to be perfect.
Sharon Stone: You’re wrong, I’m just as neurotic and in a lot of trouble as everyone else! People often only see a retouched version of you in photos. But I’m not as perfect as people think! I am no exception. I, like everyone else, have dark circles under my eyes. I had to be very disciplined over the years and still am; it’s like OCD. Except this winter we spent four months in Los Angeles with bad weather and I did nothing. The sun finally came out, though, and with it came my workout sessions and my daily routine.
I exercise five days a week and spend an hour and a half in the pool. I do aqua fitness training underwater with two and a half kilograms of weight on each ankle and each arm. It is important to perform these exercises below the surface, completely in the water. When I was done with the water exercise, I sat on the pool steps and pedaled with my legs.
Are you a typical Californian obsessed with green juices and avocados? Or what do you like to eat?
I come from a fairly modest background, so I like simple food. I drink milk, eat fruits and vegetables, etc. I eat healthy to be healthy. My ancestors are French, so I love French food. I have an unforgettable memory of a dinner at the Grand Palais where the chef prepared delicious rosini tournedos with mashed potatoes, just like my grandmother used to make – I loved it! When I think about that dish, I just want to go back to France!
