Sharon Stone has reacted to the controversy surrounding her candid comments about Meryl Streep.
A fan of Stone’s shared an excerpt from an interview published last month after noticing it was Streep’s birthday, with her views on the Hollywood star going viral.
The interviewer at Everything Zoomer was speaking to Stone ahead of the publication of her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, and asked her what it had been like to “finally” work with Streep in the Steven Soderbergh film The Laundromat.
“I like the way you phrase that, that I finally got to work with Meryl Streep,” Stone replied. “You didn’t say, ‘Meryl finally got to work with Sharon Stone.’ Or we finally got to work together.”
She added: “Because that’s the way her life went, she got built up to be, ‘Everyone wants to work with Meryl.’ I wonder if she likes that?”
Stone, who claimed she can play a “much better villain”, reeled off a list of actors who are “equally as talented” as Streep.
“The business was set up that we should all envy and admire Meryl because only Meryl got to be the good one. And everyone should compete against Meryl. I think Meryl is an amazingly wonderful woman and actress. But in my opinion, quite frankly, there are other actresses equally as talented as Meryl Streep.
She added that “the whole Meryl Streep iconography is part of what Hollywood does to women”.
She named Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Judy Davis, Olivia Colman, and Kate Winslet as actors who deserve as much recognition as Streep.
After the Twitter post went viral, many people misconstrued Stone’s comments by saying she thought Streep was “overrated”.
Stone stepped in to clarify her stance, writing on Twitter: “To be clear; Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of all times. Just not to the exclusion of others.”
Many had praised Stone for saying what they believe plenty of other Hollywood stars would be too afraid to admit.
I feel like "overrated" might be harsh, but I would agree that it's a bigger deal to work with Meryl Streep versus Viola Davis (despite both being incredible actors).
I am very much in love with Sharon Stone's "don't get me STARTED" energy here though. https://t.co/U0R5YjDlRC
Meryl Streep’s a phenomenal actress. She’s starred in some of the best and most iconic movies of all time BUT Sharon Stone isn’t wrong. She didn’t insult Meryl, she just said there are other actresses like Viola Davis who are just as talented & deserve to be recognized as well.
I agree with Sharon Stone and more importantly I think Meryl Streep would as well.
“I love Meryl Streep and I can also get what Sharon Stone is saying,” one person wrote.
Another added: “Meryl Streep couldn’t do Basic Instinct but Sharon Stone could do Mamma Mia.”
One person acknowledged that, while Streep “is a near-perfect actress”, there are a host of others, including Glenn Close, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Rooney Mara, Kerry Washington and Regina King, who “are just as great on their best day”.
They concluded: “Sharon Stone is 100 per cent right,” with another calling her comments “truthful”.
Another social media user added: “I do love Meryl Streep and think she is a phenomenal actress but Sharon Stone is right!!!!!!”
