Sharon Stone Reveals She Was Forced to Retire at 40 Due to Looking “Too Old”

The Basic Instinct star was deemed one of the most desirable women in Hollywood in the ’90s. Ironically, that movie was released only 6 years before Sharon Stone turned 40, when, as she recently revealed, she was already written off by some film execs. Let’s learn more about how Stone conquered the ageism surrounding her and empowered women everywhere.

Her rise to fame was slow but determined.

Stone’s journey to stardom started with modeling and small TV roles. Curiously, it all began in 1976 when the 18-year-old Stone entered the Miss Pennsylvania competition. One of the judges noticed her and recommended she move to New York to get signed by a modeling agency. What followed were years of working in Milan and Paris, which eventually inspired her to move back to New York and pursue acting.

Stone spent the ’80s doing small roles in movies and TV shows, but her big break was still a while away. It wasn’t until the ’90s came around that Stone really got noticed. At first, it was the main role in Total Recall (1990) alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. 2 years later, Stone shined in Basic Instinct (1992), a movie that is still synonymous with her name.

Hollywood wasn’t too kind to her after her thirties.

After Basic Instinct, Stone was on top of the world. She made the list of “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by PEOPLE magazine in 1992. Then, Empire highlighted her charm by ranking her in their “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History” issue in both 1995 and 1997 when she was 39 years old. Considering these accolades, Stone couldn’t have predicted what criticism was coming her way.

In 1998, Stone turned 40, which got her way too close to Hollywood’s “sell-by date,” as she recently recalled. Stone, now 65, revealed that when she reached her forties, she started hearing from her colleagues that she was “too old” for many roles, which was absolutely shocking. The actress now looks back at the photos of her in her forties and can’t believe someone could’ve judged her age back then.

Stone said, “[At 40,] you’re old enough to know what you want and young enough to go get it. And you look amazing! I looked amazing! I looked like some Scandinavian princess! I look at pictures of myself and think, ’That was old?’ Oh my god.”

Her life had a new beginning at 40.

Ironically, Stone’s personal life only got its real start in 1998. That was the year she married Phil Bronstein, an executive editor of a major San Francisco publication. He was her second husband after Michael Greenburg, who was married to Sharon from 1984 to 1990. Bronstein and Stone were struggling to get pregnant for a few years, mostly due to her health issues.

Finally, in 2000, Stone and Bronstein adopted a son, Roan Joseph. He was the couple’s only son and Stone’s first. In 2003, the couple called it quits, but she wasn’t ready to give up on having a family. The actress adopted 2 more sons, Laird Vonne and Quinn Kelly, in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Since then, nothing concrete is known about Stone’s romantic relationships, but she never remarried.

How she still looks incredible at 65

It’s wild to think that someone used to call Stone “too old” when she was in her early forties. Looking at her now at age 65, we’re still absolutely amazed by her youthful glow. Of course, that kind of beauty takes some work, and we found out about some of Stone’s secrets.

You’d be surprised, but the Hollywood star prefers a simple beauty routine. She washes her face with only water and makes sure her skin is sufficiently moisturized — that’s it. Stone’s true secret, however, and we know it’s hard to believe, is painting! She explained that painting got rid of her anxiety, and she’s never been more centered in her life.

Another Hollywood legend and beauty queen, Goldie Hawn, is also famous for her extra simple routine that keeps her looking fresh at 77. We highly recommend you learn her secrets, and you can read all about them right here.