Sharon Stone has been inspiring fans for over two decades, ever since surviving a near-fatal stroke and brain hemorrhage in 2001 that she once revealed left her with a “1% chance of survival.”
The 68-year-old actress has always kept it real with fans, often updating them on her life and health to remind them that if she could survive her darkest days, they could too. And she has just shared another powerful update…
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Sharon Stone Credits Painting With Helping Her Process Her Stroke
The Basic Instinct alum, who has made her highly anticipated return to acting with roles in Nobody 2 and the third and final season of Euphoria alongside Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, revealed that getting back in front of the camera isn't the only way she has been rebuilding her life and creativity.
After her stroke dramatically altered her career – and left her no longer being offered the kinds of roles she once commanded – the Total Recall actress revealed in a new Today interview that she turned to painting as a way to process everything she had been through, while also keeping her creativity alive.
The Oscar-nominated actress explained that art became both an emotional outlet and a form of recovery, helping her work through the trauma and loss of identity she experienced after stepping away from Hollywood.
Her artwork is often described as bold and expressive, featuring large-scale canvases, vibrant colors, and abstract, emotionally driven themes.
In the new interview, the Specialist actress revealed that her aunt had taught her to paint as a child, but she didn't return to it for decades due to her busy and thriving acting career. It wasn't until after her stroke – and later during the Covid-19 pandemic – that she said she picked up a brush again. And even now, as her acting career regains momentum, she hasn't let go of painting…
Sharon Stone Opens Up On 'Today' About Her Love Of Painting
Speaking about her lifelong connection to art, the Casino actress said on the show: "I started painting when I was little." She continued: "In the '90s I was pretty busy being a movie star. I stopped painting almost entirely. Then Covid happened and I had all that free time. I decided to pick up the brush again."
"It was a really wonderful time," she added. "It allowed me to process the impact of what had happened to me – not only having the stroke but then not being able to go back to work." She went on to recall: "I had lost my memory. I couldn't talk. I couldn't walk. I couldn't see straight. It took me a long time to regain myself. I lost my box office viability."
Despite everything she endured, Stone has slowly rebuilt both her life and her career, and found a new sense of purpose along the way. Now that her children – Roan, 25, Laird, 20, and Quinn, 19 – have grown up, she has been able to focus more on her creativity, with painting becoming a key outlet. Her work has even been exhibited in galleries around the world, from Los Angeles to Berlin, with her bold, abstract pieces exploring themes of healing and identity.
