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Business Insider
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Sharon Stone will play the villain — on one condition
Sharon Stone has been asked to play the villain so many times in her career that she's lost count. But she gets it. Her most famous role, playing the ice-pick-wielding seductress Catherine Tramell in the 1992 sensation "Basic Instinct," turned her from a 1980s B-movie starlet into an international sex symbol, while her character instantly became an iconic movie villain. So when she got the call recently from Universal asking if she'd be up for playing the baddie in "Nobody 2," the sequel to the ultra-violent 2021 thriller starring Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely assassin, she was ready to pass. "I just don't want to play a cookie-cutter villain, which is something that I really have a thing about," Stone, 67, told Business Insider over Zoom from her home, sporting light blue shades she'd often take off when she got excited while telling a story. "After 'Basic Instinct,' everybody wanted me to play a villain. But that was not cookie-cutter; it was a villain that touched upon the zeitgeist of the moment. That was why it was so specifically successful, and why it remains interesting to watch." So Stone came back to the studio with an idea for a character she'd been thinking about playing since watching her three sons play violent video games during the pandemic. "It was like living in a frat house, they were all screaming out of their rooms while they were playing," Stone recalled. "There is no cruelty like the kind that came out of those computers. So this character I made up came through that. I said, 'I want to play a character that essentially comes right out of social media.'" It resulted in Stone delivering a ruthless and delightfully unhinged performance as Lendina, a crime boss who causes trouble for Odenkirk's character Hutch while he's vacationing with his family. Stone's recollections of "Nobody 2" were just a warm-up for the stories she told me while reminiscing about her legendary career. From breaking down her confrontational first meeting with Michael Douglas before auditioning for "Basic Instinct," to sharing her reaction to getting slapped by Gene Hackman in " The Quick and the Dead," to plotting to play the late comic legend Phyllis Diller in a biopic, Stone's decades in Hollywood have been as fruitful as they are colorful. Below, she looks back at some of her most memorable roles. On roller-skating to auditions and getting cast by Woody Allen Sharon Stone: I'm still modeling, and I still make more money today modeling than in film. It's still a huge part of my reality. But back then, I wanted to be a director. But the pesky vagina has stood in my way. Because how could you possibly have a brain and a vagina? It seems to have confounded so many. How did you land that now-memorable shot of you inside the train in Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories"? The casting agent Riccardo Bertoni cast extras in New York. He was a guy who really saw talent. He helped Sly [Stallone] get "Rocky" made. He saw me and said, "Girl, you're a star, and I'm going to get you in front of people." I didn't have any money, so I would rollerskate to all my modeling appointments. This was back in the Studio 54 period of New York City. I went over to Riccardo's and he told me that Juliet Taylor was casting extras for this Woody Allen movie. He told me to go to this bus stop. Woody was actually sitting at the bus stop. Juliet had a podium placed in front of it, and she would look at everyone's headshots. So I rollerskated over there and had my giant modeling portfolio with me and showed it to her. She turned around and passed it to Woody in the bus stop. Then she said, "Woody would like you to sit down with him." So I skated into the bus stop and sat with Woody, and he looked at my stuff and didn't say anything, and handed it back to me, and I skated away. And I later found out I got the job. On the day of shooting, the 1st AD came out and he said, "Sharon, there was a girl who was going to play a part and she's sick, Woody's going to come out and talk to you." Woody comes over and tells me, "I want you to do this job, it's today." I was self-conscious, I was 19, and they put me in this tight dress, and I was so awkward about my body. The hair person put a real gardenia in my hair. It really meant the world to me that she did that. It made me feel important. And then Gordon Willis was the DP, the man who shot "The Godfather." It was an amazing experience. On her contentious first encounter with Michael Douglas before they co-starred in 'Basic Instinct' Did Paul Verhoeven ever bring up "Basic Instinct" to you when you two made "Total Recall"? No. And what happened was I wanted the part, but nobody would give me the script. So my manager, Chuck Binder, broke into the office by picking the lock with his credit card and stole the "Basic Instinct" script for me. I read it and I said, "I'm having this part." Everyone they went out to would turn it down. But the thing was, Michael Douglas did not want to put his bare ass out on the screen with an unknown. And I understood that. He wouldn't even test with me. But that was also for a different reason; we had an argument prior to that. This was at Cannes. A bunch of us were all sitting, and he was talking about someone and their kids. I really, really knew this person he was talking about. So I said something and he responded to me, saying, "What the fuck do you know?" It was in regard to a father/child relationship. Clearly, it triggered him. So he screams this at me across a whole group of people. And I'm not the person who goes, "Oh, excuse me, superstar." I pushed back my chair and said to him, "Let's step outside." That's how we first met. Did you two step outside? Yeah. And I explained to him what the fuck I knew about this family he was speaking about, and that I was best friends with the children and the parent. And then we parted, I wouldn't say as best friends, but amicably. So, fast forward to casting "Basic Instinct," I don't think he wanted me to be his costar. [ Laughs.] (Editor's note: Michael Douglas did not reply to a request for comment.) But I would imagine that tension between you two fueled the dynamic your characters had in the movie. It worked great, because I was not rattled if he yelled at me. That was interesting for the character, because Michael has a temper, and I didn't care. That worked very well in our dynamic. Eventually, we became the greatest of friends, to this day. I admire him tremendously. The role of Catherine Tramell made you an icon, but you had a price to pay. From the way you learned what was shown in the leg-crossing scene to the custody battle you endured afterwards with your child, if you could do it all over again, would you take the role? It made me an icon, but it didn't bring me respect. But would I do it again? We don't get to make these choices in life. I don't participate in the fantasy world in this way. What I did with what happened is exactly the way I wanted to do it. Verhoeven and I have a wonderful relationship. I would work with him again in a second. We both understand, even though we have different public ways of discussing it, we understand very well what happened regarding the crotch scene. I very much believe that none of us knew at the time what we were getting in regard to that shot, and when Paul got it, he didn't want to lose it, and he was scared to show me. And I get that. Once I had time to calm down, I didn't make him take it out of the movie when I had the legal right to. So I did have the chance to do it differently and I didn't, because once I had the chance to step back, I understood, as the director, not the girl in the film, that that made the movie better. On getting slapped by Gene Hackman in 'The Quick and the Dead' and Robert De Niro getting under her skin in 'Casino' Is the legend true that while shooting "The Quick and the Dead," the scene where Gene Hackman slaps you was improvised? Yes. And it's also true that right after he did it, I grabbed him by his lapels and picked him up off his feet. The people who played our bodyguards in the scene didn't know what to do, so they all cocked their rifles. And [director] Sam [Raimi] yelled, "CUT! CUT! CUT! EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" [ Laughs.] Did Gene give any explanation for why he slapped you? No, and I don't think there should be. I think it's good. I have worked with actors who really get cranked up in their performances and can get violent in their work. We talk before we work, or I know going in. In "Casino," was it more fun working across from Robert De Niro or Joe Pesci? It's apples and oranges. Joey really, really fought for me to be seen and get the job. So I have a serious loyalty to Joey because he's always backed me. It was always Joey and Jimmy Caan. They backed me since I was 19. I always wanted to work with Bob. I had auditioned with him many times before "Casino." It was my dream to work with De Niro and hold my own. There's a scene in the movie where we're sitting across a table arguing and he says to me, "You're a good actress, you know that?" And I remember in that scene when he said it, how furious it made me because it was my dream to do it, and then he challenged me at the table. I remember thinking, "Oh, buddy. Not today, pal." He knew every button to go for with me because he is the greatest observational actor. He can crawl under your skin and get in there. On wanting to make a Phyllis Diller biopic and learning her laugh Do you want to play Phyllis Diller one day? I do want to play Phyllis Diller very, very badly. She and I were very close friends. She cooked me dinner a lot of times. That woman could cook. I told her I wanted to play her, and she sat down and taught me her laugh. She made me practice her laugh! Phyllis made little paintings for all my kids. Are you actively trying to get a biopic off the ground? I'm trying. You know, she didn't hit it big until she was 49. She lived in a trailer park with 5 kids and her schizophrenic husband, and practiced her act on women at the laundromat. It's unbelievable. I think there are great actors who could play Bob Hope, Red Buttons, Johnny Carson. Sam Rockwell could play Johnny in his sleep. We were tight. Yes, I'm desperate to play her. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. "Nobody 2" hits theaters August 15. More from this series
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gene Hackman's Net Worth Proves He Was No Lex Luthor
Gene Hackman's unexpected death has rocked more than just Hollywood. The investigation is ongoing, and Hackman's friends and family are mourning. A winner of multiple Academy Awards, Hackman became somewhat reclusive in his later years, not interested in flaunting his accomplishments or wealth. And yet, because Hackman was in so many iconic films, one wonders: What was Gene Hackman's net worth before he died? Turns out, that although he was very much a rich man, Hackman was not on the same level as his billionaire alter-ego, the Superman villain, Lex Luthor. Here's what Gene Hackman's net worth was before he died, and how he got there. As of March 2025, Hackman's net worth was estimated at $80 million according to Celebrity Net Worth and The Economic Times. This fortune came largely from his longtime acting career. In the 1978 Superman film alone, Hackman was paid $2 million dollars. For roles in The Quick and the Dead (1995) and Lucky Lady (1975), Hackman reported was paid 1.5 million for each. For The French Connection in 1971, Hackman was paid $100,000. Over the years, these roles, and the residuals from his box office hits clearly added up. Although he didn't appear in the third Superman film in 1983, Hackman did return for Superman IV in 1987 in which he technically, played a dual role: That of Lux Luthor, but also the voice of Nuclear Man. (The body of Nuclear Man was played by Mark Pillow.) That said, Hackman wasn't only about getting huge paychecks for films. According to Ben Stiller, Hackman's role in the beloved 2001 Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums "wasn't a money job." All the Superman films stream on Max You can rent The Royal Tenenbaums on Prime Video and elsewhere for $3.99 The Quick and the Dead is streaming on Pluto TV for free. You can rent Unforgiven on YouTube and elsewhere for $3.99 You can rent The French Connection on Apple TV and elsewhere for $3.99 You can rent The Poseidon Adventure on Prime Video and elsewhere for $3.99 You can rent Crimson Tide on Google Movies and elsewhere for $3.99 You can watch Lucky Lady on DVD or YouTube.
Fox News
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Gene Hackman's costar Gary Sinise says star was living 'quiet life' outside Hollywood before mysterious death
Gary Sinise is just as shocked as the rest of the world after learning about the deaths of his former co-star Gene Hackman, Hackman's wife Betsy and their dog. The Santa Fe County (New Mexico) Sheriff's office told Fox News Digital early Thursday morning, "On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, where Gene Hackman, 95 and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased." Sinise, who worked with Hackman in the 1995 film "The Quick and the Dead," told Fox News Digital he woke up early on Thursday and immediately saw the news of Hackman's death. The "CSI: NY" star had several questions. "He's 95 years old, but his wife was in her 60s. So, like, what's going on there? You know, did something happen and was he not doing well?" Sinise wondered. "It just seems very odd that also, their dog is gone. You know, like, what did they do… what happened?" "I think he was painting. He was doing a lot of that and living a quiet life in New Mexico." The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department revealed autopsies were completed on both Hackman and his wife. No external trauma was seen on either the actor or his musician wife. Authorities continue to investigate the couple's deaths as official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending. Sinise shared that he didn't stay in touch with Hackman after his retirement, but was aware of his "quiet life" in New Mexico with his wife. WATCH: GARY SINISE SAYS GENE HACKMAN WAS LIVING A 'QUIET LIFE' OUTSIDE OF HOLLYWOOD BEFORE HIS DEATH "I know once he retired to New Mexico, he was retired. He did not want to come back and get any awards or, you know, go to any Hollywood events or anything like that. He was done and he was moving on from that part of his life," Sinise told Fox News Digital. "I think he was painting. He was doing a lot of that and living a quiet life in New Mexico." Sinise said Hackman has always been one of his role models. "I just loved his approach. I loved his persona. I loved everything about him. And as time would go on, it was just like Gene never, ever failed. He could be in a movie that might be less successful than the one previous or whatever. But Gene Hackman was always outstanding," he said. "I mean, he just never phoned it in. He was just a really fine actor to model after. I just wanted to be like Gene Hackman, you know, not that I ever turned out to be like Gene Hackman, but I had something to aspire to back then, and he was among my very favorites." WATCH: GARY SINISE SAYS GENE HACKMAN WAS ONE OF HIS BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS Sinise's latest project, "Brothers After War," is a documentary about Iraq war veterans. The project reunites the film's creator, Jake Rademacher, with his brothers after war in the Middle East. Sinise, who is an executive producer on the movie, said Rademacher decided to reunite with his brothers 10 years after his first documentary film, "Brothers At War," debuted. Sinise told Fox News Digital that his foundation wants to help as many service members as possible through the production of this documentary. "Soldiers and service members coming back from war and having a difficult time, it can be very hard. And we all know the difficulties that we've had with suicide in the military and all of that. We want to provide as many healing opportunities and healing services, of the Gary Sinise Foundation, for our service members as possible," he said. WATCH: GARY SINISE HOPES VETERANS SEE HIS NEW MOVIE, 'BROTHERS AFTER WAR' "And I think 'Brothers After War' can have a lot to do with getting our service members to open up about what they're actually feeling, what they've been through. And it can be… a real opportunity for them to share their stories and then move on. We want them all to move on. Just like Lieutenant Dan and Forrest Gump. He goes through a lot of bad stuff. But what's happening? What happens at the end? It's a happy ending for him, and we want the happy ending for everybody who serves in our military and goes off to war and comes home." "Brothers After War" is in theaters now.
