The 70th Taormina Film Fest closes in style with an icon of beauty and style, a woman of great charm and human and artistic sensitivity. Sharon Stone returned to Italy, to Taormina, where last night she received the Cariddi d’Oro for her career on the stage of the Teatro Antico. She does not hide her happiness at being in the land where in 1992 “Basic Instinct”, an erotic thriller by Paul Verhoeven which had caused a scandal for the cult scene of the crossing of the legs.
Yesterday morning the crowded press conference, with a true diva entrance to thunderous applause and a large audience that from outside repeated her name. Her outfit did not go unnoticed: a long white dress with a pattern of giant red roses, attached to a headdress that recalls the typical handkerchief of Sicilian women of the past, the classic mantillo. Her photo in a few moments went around the web and many saw it as a tribute to Sicily.
Retracing her prestigious career, we start with Verhoeven’s film. “At the time it seemed scandalous,” said the actress, “but today it would be absolutely ordinary. Sex is finally considered a normal fact: everyone does it, even in nature, it’s like water, air, dust. It has always been seen as something dirty, because it was told from a male point of view. Now, however, certain situations that are scandalous really are.”
Consecrated for that iconic performance, Sharon Stone has proven to be much more, having given performances of dramatic intensity (Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” and Peter Chelsom’s “Just Look at the Sky”) and brilliant interpretations (Albert Brooks’ “The Mighty Duckling”); but the most intense experience seems to have been the day spent in a maximum security women’s prison to play Karla Faye Tucker Brown, the first American woman sentenced to death, in Bruce Beresford’s “Last Dance.”
“As soon as I started walking down the corridor to the cell, the inmates said obscene things to me, threatening to attack and kill me. Calling the experience in prison terrifying is a diminutio; but I did it to understand that of one of my brothers.” Since then, much has changed and the Hollywood system is profoundly different compared to the year of her exploit: “Since 1992, the world has been better in some ways, worse in others due to many situations that make our future uncertain. The films I took part in had budgets of 50-60 million dollars, and there was a wide range of different titles that cost much less. Today, only blockbusters worth hundreds of millions are made and streaming platforms are taking over; but this is not negative, because people are going back to making smaller but significant films. This is good for the future of cinema.”
The inevitable questions about the cerebral aneurysm that struck her in 2001 – the subject of her interesting book «The Beauty of Living Twice» (2021), published in Italy by Rizzoli – and on her commitment to various humanitarian projects. «I am grateful to have survived that disease caused by violence – she said – . I have always done humanitarian work before this tragic event. I do not believe that in itself it is noble for famous people to dedicate themselves to charity, because it must start from within, be something authentic. But those who are fortunate enough to be famous have the duty to behave responsibly, and when you support a humanitarian cause, it is important to be educated and informed, remaining within the groups for which important decisions are made».
In addition to cinema, Stone’s life includes writing, dancing, and above all painting, an old passion passed down from her aunt Vonne and rediscovered during the pandemic. In November, the actress will bring her art to a solo exhibition at the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, proposed by the capital’s municipality.
“I’m painting like crazy and I hope you can see them.” Is this the right time to return to Europe? “Europe is a beautiful place and I’ve been thinking about moving here all my life. Maybe it’s time to do it.”
In closing, a reference to the US political situation. “I am a proud American, I love my country and of course I am deeply concerned. This is the first time we have seen someone who bases his election campaign on a platform of hate and oppression. I like to think that the United States has the qualities that we Americans have defended, independence and courage. I hope that all other countries stand with us in this difficult time. I am sure that this election will have an impact on all of you”.