Sharon Stone has declared that she is 'still hot' while reflecting on the decades she has spent navigating Hollywood and moving beyond the sex-symbol image that followed her to international fame.
The 68-year-old actress made the remarks at Variety's Power of Women event in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, 23 September. Stone was among this year's honourees alongside Jennifer Hudson, Pearlena Igbokwe and Melissa McCarthy. The event, presented in partnership with Lifetime, recognised women for their achievements and influence in entertainment and philanthropy.
'I Am Still Hot'
Speaking during the ceremony, Stone reflected on the challenges she encountered while building her career. 'You have to claw your way to the top,' she said, before describing herself as having 'gone the distance from being a sex symbol'. She then delivered the line that quickly became the headline from her speech: 'And I, like all of you, am still hot.'
Stone linked her longevity to persistence, joking about the physical demands of her career and the years she spent wearing high heels on hard studio floors. She said she had kept her feet 'firmly planted on terra firma', framing her journey as one of endurance rather than simply appearance.
The comments carry particular significance given Stone's association with Basic Instinct, the 1992 erotic thriller that transformed her into one of Hollywood's most recognisable stars. Her performance as Catherine Tramell became a defining moment in her career, but Stone has since spoken about the difficulties of being perceived through the lens of that character.
A Sense of Intimidation
In a recent interview with Variety, she said that people were still sometimes intimidated by her because of the film, decades after its release. Stone also argued that her ambitions were never limited to playing provocative or psychologically dark characters, saying that comedy was closer to the kind of work she had originally imagined for herself.
Her Power of Women appearance also focused on the broader theme of women supporting one another. Stone said the power she felt came from standing among other women and emphasised that she did not stand alone.
Sharon Stone says she’s gone the distance from being a sex symbol in Hollywood: “And I, like all of you, am still hot. I did it by keeping both of these tired feet, that hurt from wearing four-inch heels on poured concrete floors, firmly planted on terra firma” at the Variety Power of Women event
by u/mlg1981 in popculturechat
Hollywood's Treatment of Women
Away from the ceremony, Stone has continued to speak publicly about the treatment of women in Hollywood, including pay, contracts and ownership of costumes. In a recent Variety interview, she recalled securing contractual rights to keep her film costumes after an early-career experience in which her underwear and bras were put up for sale outside a television set. She described the experience as degrading.
Stone's career has now stretched across more than four decades, encompassing films including Basic Instinct and Casino, television work and more recent appearances, including the third season of Euphoria. Her remarks in Beverly Hills suggested that, rather than abandoning the image that once made her famous, she is placing it within a much larger story about longevity, independence and continuing to define herself on her own terms.
The Film Industry's Expectations
Sharon Stone's comments underline how dramatically the entertainment industry's expectations of female stars can change over the course of a career. For Stone, the transition from being marketed primarily for her appearance to speaking openly about professional control has become an important part of her public story.
At 68, she remains active across film, television, art and public advocacy, while continuing to revisit the experiences that shaped her career. Her latest remarks offered a characteristically confident response to an industry that once placed considerable emphasis on youth and sexual image, while making clear that she sees her career as extending well beyond either label.
