Sharon Stone: Dame Fame

Q: And once you get there?

A: I have a feeling about destiny that enters into this. That we all have a predetermined destiny. What we bring to the party is how much integrity we meet our destiny with. That has a lot to do with fame and how you handle it. I always felt like I was going to be famous. There are things you know about yourself and your future.

Q: When did your future fame first cross your mind?

A: I was teeny. I never wanted to go outside and play. I wanted to stay inside and watch old movies. From three years old.

Q: What did you watch when you were three?

A: Anything that was on. Anything in black-and-white was a thrill for me. For most people in Hollywood, there's something dysfunctional from which you're escaping. That thing lets you escape into a world that exists just the way your imagination would have it. When I got to be famous I got to pursue my fantasy. I could bring back old-fashioned glamour. That's the pleasure of fame. I was in South America at a dinner, and this famous actor came up with his whole entourage at this party. And it was so seedy, the whole getup was so dark, so heavy and strange, and I thought, Why when you can create anything you want, would you create this?

Q: Obviously not everyone looks at fame as something creative.

A: No, because it can be oppressive. You start to become afraid to leave your house and you realize there's validity in that fear. That's a process that punches you in the face. You have to understand now you're different.

Q: What's the high point of your fame so far?

A: I got asked to go back to my high school and give a commencement address.

Q: What did you say to them?

A: I started out by telling them what I was like at their age. I told them when the principal Mr. Baker called me and asked me to do this, I was afraid to call him back because I was afraid he finally realized I skipped 30 days of my senior year. Anyway, I talked to them about how in high school the measure of your success is how much you can be like everyone else, and from that day forward your success is measured by your individuality. I talked to them about literature and about finding your guides.

Q: Did you tell them who yours were?

A: Yeah. I told them John Lennon was easily as important a guide to my philosophical upbringing as Shakespeare. I told them that it was important to find a way to measure their success. I didn't want to be standing there saying, "Well, I'm an actress so things are great for me, and half of you guys will be garbage collectors or secretaries at the car dealership." These are the opportunities, and each has the same value if you meet it with integrity.

Q: How did people treat you?

A: The hard part for me was when the kids all walked up onstage and they were 18 years of age, and they were such tiny little kittens. And I thought I was so young, because I live in L.A. And I could be their mommy if I'd followed other invitations for my destiny.

Q: What do you think would have happened if you'd become famous when you first came to L.A.?

A: I'd be dead. I came here in 1980. Think what that was about. Just think!

Q: Not that people aren't behaving that way today ...

A: But not with the social acceptance that we did. And I was young. I'd spent the first part of my life in a Jimmy Stewart movie, so what did I know?

Q: Were you afraid of what you didn't know?

A: I'm not a person who's very afraid. The only thing that really scares me is driving in my car alone and not knowing where I'm going. But now we have car phones, so even that isn't a big deal.

Q: You said, before Basic Instinct, "I learned that in this business there is 'Plan A,' in which you become successful by living and acting with a lot of integrity. Then there's 'Plan B,' where you sell your soul to the devil ... I still find it hard to distinguish one from the other." Can you tell Plan A'ers from B'ers now?

A: Oh yeah. All the B people have stepped forward and said [shouts], "It's me! I'm here! Over here! No more illusions! Come to us!"

Q: They now feel no need to hide themselves?

A: No, because I'm one of their people. I think because the character I played in Basic Instinct was a demonstration of the Plan B creed--she could have been their mascot--it made it okay. She was a really attractive Plan B'er. They figured I had to be Plan B. They wanted me to be Catherine. But Plan B people can be pretty entertaining. If you're secure that you're Plan A, then they're not too threatening. I've now become so famous in a kind of fame that has a life of its own-- interviews I never gave show up, all kinds of things--so there's a part of me that keeps saying, "Did you step into Plan B and you didn't know?" I don't think I did, because I know in my heart where my peace comes from, and it comes from love and truth. The simple old-fashioned way. And every time I say that people think it's just hilarious, but it's true.

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