The movie Sharon Stone was conned into making: “I had an agent that sold me out”
Sharon Stone has never had a straightforward relationship with fame and film, having a turbulent journey in the industry and fluctuating between being in the spotlight and struggling to stay inside it. The actor found her way into a niche within the 1990s, becoming known as a ‘sex symbol’ after roles in erotic dramas like Basic Instinct and Total Recall. However, her career took a new direction after appearing in Martin Scorsese’s Casino in 1995, earning her an abundance of critical acclaim and leading to subsequent projects like Sliver, Catwoman, Broken Flowers and The Laundromat.
But while she has been critically acclaimed and globally recognised for her performances, work didn’t always come easily to her. Like many actors, Stone found herself at the mercy of her agent, who encouraged her to accept some questionable roles for the sake of working and getting her name out there.
Over the years, many actors have been trapped in dodgy contracts and Netflix deals in a desperate bid to get a foot in the door and kickstart their careers. Whether it be Jacob Elordi and his tragic appearance in all three Kissing Booth movies or Zendaya in the floundering Euphoria series, many Hollywood A-listers find themselves stuck in years-long contracts and franchises that they don’t particularly want to be in. It’s a tragic sight and one that particularly hurts when you can tell that the actors’ talents exceed what they are being asked to do on screen.
But at the end of the day, being an actor is still just a job that pays the bills, something that Stone learned the hard way after being forced to star in King Solomon’s Mines in 1985, playing a helpless woman who is trying to find her missing father in Africa. The film presents a number of challenging and questionable scenes for Stone, with one memorable moment as her character is nearly boiled to death by a group of cannibals.
When discussing this, Stone said: “I had an agent that sold me out. They had a deal with the producer. I thought the movie was so horrible, and they said, ‘We’ll even waive our commission, because this is good for you.’ They told me it was important to star in a movie. I spent a year in Africa, and that’ll put your career to a grinding halt.”
Stone was signed with CAA at the time, a notorious agency that represents some of Hollywood’s best and brightest performers. However, agents are a tricky bunch and are not always motivated by the best interests of their clients. They are sometimes swayed by the commission they’ll receive if their client takes on a project, regardless of its quality.
Many people in the film industry can sometimes feel like pawns being sold and moved around for profit. They do not always feel as though their voices bear weight or importance as they are treated like a glamourised product. Unfortunately, this is something that many people experience early on or throughout their careers as they try to sustain a career in an impossible industry.
