Sharon Stone Said She’s Been Canceled From Hollywood Because Of Her Stroke
Sharon Stone says she stopped getting major roles after a stroke in 2001.
Sharon Stone is clapping back against Hollywood. The Hollywood Reporter hosted its Raising Our Voices luncheon and gala in Los Angeles, uniting key players to discuss diversity and accessibility in the entertainment industry. Stone spoke candidly about her struggle to find work after she suffered a stroke in 2001.
“I recovered for seven years, and I haven’t had jobs since,” Sharon Stone said during her address. “When it first happened, I didn’t want to tell anybody because you know if something goes wrong with you, you’re out. Something went wrong with me — I’ve been out for 20 years. I haven’t had jobs. I was a very big movie star at one point in my life.”
Indeed, Sharon Stone was a massive movie star. She is best known for her iconic roles in Basic Instinct and Casino, the latter of which scored her an Oscar nomination. That all changed when a stroke and brain hemorrhage left her on her deathbed with a one percent chance of survival.
She made a miraculous recovery, but since then, Sharon Stone has had a very different kind of career. She has worked, but not in the same capacity. The parts got smaller, the spotlight grew dimmer, and Sharon Stone lost her star power.
It was star power that the actress had earned. During her speech, Stone recounted the rights she fought for over the course of her career. “I broke a lot of glass ceilings on the top of my head,” she said.
Stone discussed the pain of fighting for pay, respect, and boundaries in a business constantly trying to take advantage of her. She explained that her fight for fair treatment in Hollywood left her battered, and in some cases, her outspoken nature boxed her out of opportunities.
Sharon Stone has suffered at the hands of a harmful bias in Hollywood. The entertainment industry notoriously dehumanizes those who participate in it, turning people into products. Stone built a reputation for having a spine, and after she endured a vulnerable, painfully human experience, she was labeled as damaged goods.
Sharon Stone has not let a lack of work in Hollywood stop her from making an impact. The actress continues to ally with the World Health Organization and the United Nations to amplify underrepresented voices. To her, people marginalized because of their unique backgrounds and perspectives ought to demand a seat at the industry’s table.
“It is important to me that your diversity does not get wiped out by this anti-woke bulls*** idea in our country,” Stone said. She then urged her listeners to “stand up and be counted”. Sharon Stone was joined at the event by Taika Waititi, who gave the event’s keynote speech, honorees Eva Longoria and Niecy Nash-Betts, and a diverse host of voices in Hollywood.
Sharon Stone has made a handful of notable film and TV appearances in recent years. She was featured in the Netflix series Ratched and the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant. Stone also co-starred in the 2022 film Beauty and will headline the upcoming romance drama What About Love.
As artists throughout the industry struggle for fair treatment and representation, Sharon Stone represents an important perspective. She is living proof that fame is fleeting, but is also a perfect picture of what resilience and passion can allow a person to achieve. Through all obstacles, Sharon Stone continues to champion voices the world needs to hear, including her own.
