Sharon Stone Opens Up About the Career-Defining Role That Slipped Through Her Fingers
Sharon Stone wasn’t afraid to name names when she answered viewer questions on Bravo‘s Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. Despite an Academy Award nomination for Casino and sex symbol status for movies like Basic Instinct, the 67-year-old calls one role “the one that got away.”
Sharon Stone still thinks about the role that got away
WWHL tends to put celebrity guests on the spot as evidenced by Sharon Stone’s time on the interactive talk show. An in-studio viewer asked the Total Recall star if there was a role she auditioned for but didn’t get — one that fans wouldn’t know about. Stone immediately responded, as reported on the WWHL TikTok account, “Well, I hope you have a lot of time. Oh, so many.”
Andy Cohen pushed her, “Was there one that got away?” Stone responded, “Yes. I really would’ve liked to have been in that movie that Annette Bening got the part.” The host continued, “American Beauty?” “Yes,” Stone stated. “I really wanted that movie.”
She moved on, giving a hilarious recounting of her competition in Hollywood. Cohen asked, “Are there one or two actresses that you felt like it was always between ya’ll for the same roles?” Stone gave a hilarious response:
“Oh, millions and millions and millions of times. I got to the point where I thought, ‘I hope they die. I am never going to work unless that actress dies. What is happening? I just cannot get a job. What is with it? Why do they like her and they don’t like me ever?'”
Annette Bening earned an Oscar nomination for her role in ‘American Beauty’
American Beauty became a cultural landmark of the late ’90s for its darkly satirical portrayal of suburban discontent and the fragility of the American Dream. The dark comedy-drama received eight Oscar nominations and won five.
Director Sam Mendes cast Annette Bening because he wanted an actress with the intelligence and emotional range to make Carolyn Burnham more than just a satire. It remains one of her most iconic roles as she portrayed the image-obsessed, emotionally brittle wife of Kevin Spacey’s Lester Burnham. While Spacey’s role drew much of the spotlight, critics consistently highlighted Bening’s portrayal of Carolyn as one of the film’s strongest elements.
Sharon Stone certainly had the chops to take on the role of Carolyn. However, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Bening as Carolyn. Now, both actresses have Oscar nominations. Stone had already received hers for 1995’s Casino.
