Sharon Stone: Dame Fame

Q: I've noticed that when men talk about being famous, they're interested in the idea of immortality, but that women don't think as much about that aspect of it.

A: I've been thinking about it lately. Not a lot of women get to that level of it. It's a boy's society. But I did start thinking about it when I was in Paris and I stayed in the Coco Chanel suite at the Ritz and they give you this book with the names of all the people who've stayed in that suite. I thought about someone in the future looking at the book and seeing my name in it. It was just that small thing, but it's like the domino effect, and I now think about it all over the place.

Q: Does that give you stage fright?

A: Yeah, except I remember that I'm just the court jester. It's not my job to lead anybody to heightened moral consciousness. I just try to get them to think.

Q: Louis Armstrong once said, "You can get so famous it just isn't any fun at all."

A: I feel like I'm teetering in that zone right now. Valentino, who's been dressing me for the last year, invited me to be in his show, and I said, "Okay, I'll be the last person in your show." I thought it would be fun. Then I got over there. These girls were nine feet tall and weighed 32 pounds and were beautiful, and I was going on as the finale? The fat midget? A girl who should never wear white hose? I walked out on the runway, and the first six steps I was paralyzed with fear. There was no way I could be good. So all I could do was have fun.

Q: What is your relationship with Valentino?

A: He's charming, hilarious, a blast. He completely gets my trip. We designed my Oscar dress over the phone. I'd say, "Why don't we do it like this?" And he'd say, "Sharon, you know, that's very much like a Vegas show girl." Then he'd say, "How about if we do it like this?" and I'd say, "V, you know I don't live in Palm Beach."

Q: How did you meet him?

A: He contacted me when I got nominated for the Golden Globe. As did several other people. But he sent me the most exquisite bouquet of flowers with a formally written letter expressing what his intentions were and how it would go down. It was the way you dream it might be: We'll send someone to the set with 50 dresses, we'll send the head of the couturier department and she'll fit you on the set. It was a real champagne event, not a greedy hustle.

Q: How did you decide on the Oscar dress?

A: Last year was a '50s blonde thing, a dress I'd worn to a ball in Monte Carlo. This year I wanted to wear black, and since I was presenting Best Costume I felt I could make a strong statement the way my idol Catherine Deneuve did last year with the negligee. So we decided on a '38 Berlin look, a fitted Erte-esque dress made for stage, and black eye makeup. And Van Cleef & Arpels gave me jewelry from that period.

Q: Do you go shopping?

A: No, my shopping consists of catalogs. I don't miss it.

Q: What do you miss?

A: Eating a meal out undisturbed. Being able to kiss someone I like and not have to worry about it being in the newspaper, or being in the newspaper when the relationship is over.

Q: What are some of the unexpected perks of fame?

A: Bob Dylan's gonna draw me. He's doing a book of portraits. That's way cool. These are the good things. But you can hardly find the time to do them. Bob Dylan's gonna draw me. He's doing a book of portraits. That's way cool. These are the good things. But you can hardly find the time to do them.

Q: Who've you called up?

A: My housekeeper's arranging for me to meet both with Octavio Paz and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My two favorite writers. The whole Latin-American thing works for me in a big way. I get that.

Q: What kind of fame do you want to have when you're 60?

A: The only intelligent thing is to use it in a generous way. Liz Taylor is the classic example. She's taken all her fame and all her problems and used them to address the AIDS crisis. She's using her fame for productive purposes and she's with a man who cares for her for the right reasons.

Q: You don't ever consider some Garbo deal where you've just had enough and want your privacy back?

A: I've had enough and want my privacy back now. But Garbo didn't get her privacy back by hiding--it just made every time she came out a bigger event. And with the advancement of the media, we don't have the choice anymore, anyway.

Q: Leonardo DiCaprio was working with you on The Quick and the Dead when he got nominated for an Oscar, wasn't he? Did you think about how fame was going to affect him?

A: Yeah. But I think he knew he'd be nominated. He's intelligent and organized enough interpersonally that he didn't have to pretend he didn't know his performance was of that caliber. An intelligent aspect of fame is not trying to be coy. It's just a big waste of bullshit to pretend you don't get it. Leonardo is a genius professionally and personally. To a degree that is inspirational and frightening. He's 19! Clearly he'll be the biggest star we've seen in decades. I made him promise he would show up at my door if he starts to slip or if people start chasing him. None of the kids this has happened to have his depth and breadth of understanding, and wisdom and character. He's extraordinary. But he is that rare and delicate flower that must not be exploited. I do fear for him, because I love him.

Q: Do you have anyone whose judgment provides you with perspective you need?

A: My manager, Chuck Binder. He saw me in Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold and called my lawyer and said I can make that girl a star. He had a plan. The man I met then is not the man I know now. His evolution and our evolution have been enormous. He was a lot more of a ha-cha-cha kinda guy. Now he's a grounded, savvy guy married to a wonderful woman. I can run anything by him. I respect his advice. Some things he tells me no on, I know I should do. But there's a great synchronicity in our relationship. He's the most consistent factor in my success.

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