There is mirthful laughter, and then there is the chilling sound of been-there-seen-everything that came out of Sharon Stone's mouth when asked if she had ever been in an "uncomfortable" situation. Read: a situation where she had been, at best, made to feel like a sex object, and at worst, harassed and abused with impunity. Sharon's response: a great cackle of laughter. I bet every woman who was watching, or has since watched, that telling moment unfold, could relate to that nothing-about-this-is-funny chortle.
Somehow, though, it seemed to confuse Lee Cowan, the CBS Sunday Morning reporter who was profiling Sharon Stone for her (sort of) comeback role in Steven Soderbergh's new HBO drama Mosaic (the actress, pushing 60, has worked only sporadically after suffering a stroke some years ago).
To make things worse, or perhaps in a fitting display of how much men still don't get about the endemic nature of sexual harassment of women in their workplaces, Cowan goes on to ask Ms Stone, "You're laughing, but I don't know if it's a nervous laugh or a 'Are you kidding me? Of course I was!' laugh."
To which Sharon Stone, taking a deep breath, bluntly responds, "I've been in this business for 40 years, Lee. Can you imagine the business I stepped in 40 years ago? Looking like I look? From Nowhere, Pennsylvania? I didn't come here with any protection. I've seen it all."
With that one great peal of laughter and a simple "I've seen it all" response, Ms Stone managed to cut to the heart of the matter - the culture of abuse in high-stakes and high-rewards industries like entertainment is more par for the course than a clandestine secret kept under wraps.
So Hollywood insiders and old-timers (including, but not limited to, disappointingly, Meryl Streep) claiming that they were caught completely unawares by the news of all the sexual abuse going on right under their noses, perpetuated by the people they had happily posed for pictures and broken bread with... it's getting harder and harder to believe them.
Sharon Stone dressed in black at the Golden Globes 2018 (Image Credit: AFP)
Cowan's "uncomfortable position" question came as a follow-up when Sharon Stone praised the women who wore black at the Golden Globes in solidarity with survivors of sexual abuse in all industries. Ms Stone had worn black to the awards too and was seen on the red carpet with Mariah Carey.
Sharon Stone did not elaborate further on her experiences with sexual predators in the industry in her 40-year career. She didn't need to; the laughter was enough, and has gone viral, resonating with woman all over.
On @CBSSunday, @sharonstone was asked if she's ever faced any sort of harassment/assault while she's been in the entertainment business.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 14, 2018
This was her reaction..... pic.twitter.com/WdCXVvgxfK
Cannot stop watching @sharonstone’s response to being asked whether she’s ever faced sexual harassment 🔥💯🔥 pic.twitter.com/MvFR3MIPU5
— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) January 15, 2018
#SharonStone was asked about sexual harassment. She went into a fit of laughter. https://t.co/i2UT802KxR
— Gina (@redhed67) January 16, 2018
'I have seen it all .... ' #SharonStone so relevant laugh confession. Sex deals pressures so obviously natural in movie business... #MeToo #sexualabuse #cinema #Hollywood #HarveyWeinstein #harcelement #sex
— Rosebud (@PegaseRosebud) January 17, 2018
I felt that #SharonStone response from my soul.. like "boy, have you not read any papers? How do you still not get it? It is EVERYWHERE, the roots are so deep we don't even know where they end"
— I.S. (@Ishy93) January 16, 2018
Never change Sharon. pic.twitter.com/bnHg5UaQ1z
On a side note, has anyone, ever, seen Sharon Badass Stone do nervous laughter? What was Lee Cowan thinking, really?
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