Sharon Stone, 63, is getting attention on Twitter after she discussed Meryl Streep‘s successful career in the entertainment industry in a new tell-all interview. The actress told Everything Zoomer that although she thinks 72-year-old Meryl “is an amazingly wonderful woman and actress”, she thinks there are other actresses “equally as talented” and they don’t get the same “iconic” status.
“The business was set up that we should all envy and admire Meryl because only Meryl got to be the good one,” she explained to the outlet. “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. The whole Meryl Streep iconography is part of what Hollywood does to women.”
“Viola Davis is every bit the actress Meryl Streep is. Emma Thompson. Judy Davis. Olivia Colman. Kate Winslet, for f***’s sake. But you say Meryl and everybody falls on the floor,” she continued. “I’m a much better villain than Meryl, and I’m sure she’d say so.”
“Meryl was not gonna be good in Basic Instinct or in Casino,” she added. “I would be better. And I know it. And she knows it. But we’re all set up to think that only Meryl is so amazing that when you say her name, it must have been amazing for me to work with her.”
Sharon’s quotes from the interview were posted on Twitter shortly after they went public and it quickly went viral, causing many users to share their own opinions. “I remember the days when they used to disrespect Viola Davis by describing her as the ‘Black Meryl Streep.’ So, I say keep talking Sharon Stone,” one user wrote.
I like Sharon Stone, but she is not on Meryl Streep's level. Meryl and Viola? Same level. Meryl and Sharon? Nah. Viola Davis and Sharon Stone? Sharon's not even close. Kate Winslet and Sharon? Not even on Sharon's best day. https://t.co/IJIK0XEpoh
— FangirlingWhileBlack (@BlackFangirling) June 22, 2021
“Meryl Streep is a near-perfect actress. But the likes of Glenn Close, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Rooney Mara, Brie Larson, Emily Blunt, Viola Davis, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Kerry Washington and Regina King are just as great on their best day. Sharon Stone is 100% right,” another wrote.
Just catching up in the Sharon Stone thing. Anyway, she's right. Meryl is fantastic, but Hollywood has often used "there's nobody like Meryl" as an excuse to deny equally talented actresses opportunities, especially as they age and/or if they aren't white.
— The Keeper of That Beat (Caleb) (@shipatadistance) June 22, 2021
Others disagreed with some of Sharon’s points. “I like Sharon Stone, but she is not on Meryl Streep’s level. Meryl and Viola? Same level. Meryl and Sharon? Nah. Viola Davis and Sharon Stone? Sharon’s not even close. Kate Winslet and Sharon? Not even on Sharon’s best day,” a third user shared.
“I love Sharon Stone & I love Meryl Streep. I think our attention should be on calling out studios, writers, & filmmakers who fail to create enough engaging, challenging, & complex roles for the abundance of iconic actors ‘over a certain age’ that exist,” a fourth user pointed out.
Meryl has yet to publicly respond to Sharon’s comments.