Sharon Stone on her unexpected comeback after surviving a stroke
By LA Stories Staff Santa Monica
PUBLISHED 5:00 AM PT Apr. 10, 2023
As a young girl growing up in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Sharon Stone says she knew she felt different.
On the latest episode of “LA Stories,” Stone tells host Giselle Fernandez she was reading and writing by the age of 2, got into the MENSA program during high school and started attending college at age 15. Knowing she was destined for something big, Stone had a successful modeling career before becoming an actor.
In the ‘90s, her acting career took off. Starring in hits such “Total Recall,” “Basic Instinct” and “Casino,” Stone became Hollywood’s “It Girl” and won an Emmy and Golden Globe. She also was nominated for an Oscar.
“On a Friday, people didn’t know me from a box of rocks,” she said. “And on Tuesday, I was driving down Sunset Boulevard, and people climbed all over my car.”
In 2001, everything turned upside down for the actor. Stone suffered a brain hemorrhage, which led to a stroke. She revealed that it took three days before she got to the hospital, and she was forced to relearn how to walk, talk and write. And she is still on medicine to control seizures.
Shortly after this, Stone entered a custody battle for her son. She tells Fernandez that she lost custody of her son because she was accused of having Munchausen’s syndrome.
Although she regained custody of her son, Stone continued to face loss and heartbreak throughout her life. In 2021, she lost her nephew, and earlier this year, her brother died. Through all this pain and suffering, Stone found comfort in a new art form: painting.
“I never really thought I was going to be painting in my life,” she said. “If I didn’t have painting, I don’t know how I would stay standing.”
Earlier this year, Stone held her first art show, where she unveiled paintings inspired by both the beauty and hardships in life. Her hope is that her art will allow the viewer to really feel and be inspired by her work.
Now in her 60s, Stone says she isn’t sure she’ll have another leading role in Hollywood — and she’s OK with that. She is proud of her life and will continue working and creating.
“I am going to get up and work,” she said. “If it’s not for Hollywood, it’s going to be for somebody else because I’m a worker. I come from blue-collar blood, baby.”