Sharon Stone Footed Leonardo DiCaprio’s Paycheck for ‘The Quick and the Dead’—Here’s Why

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Leonardo DiCaprio has said that Sharon Stone generously paid his salary for the film The Quick and the Dead. Decades later, he remains thankful, explaining that Stone intervened when the studio wouldn’t hire him for the 1995 Western directed by Sam Raimi. He’s expressed his gratitude to her “many times” according to an interview with E! News.

I remember hearing how Sharon Stone was absolutely set on having Leonardo DiCaprio in her film, right after his amazing performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. She really fought for him – and for Russell Crowe, too! Leo himself has said she specifically told everyone those were the two actors she wanted. It’s just wonderful how much Sharon has always supported film and given actors like him a chance. He’s always been so grateful for that, and so am I – she has such a great eye for talent!

He said he’s expressed his gratitude to her repeatedly. While he isn’t sure if he ever sent a physical gift, he wants her to know how truly thankful he is.

In the film The Quick and the Dead, Sharon Stone played a gunslinger who arrives in a Western town and challenges its boss, portrayed by Gene Hackman. In her 2021 memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone shared that the studio, TriStar Pictures, wasn’t enthusiastic about casting Leonardo DiCaprio. She wrote that he was the only actor who truly excelled in the audition, and in her view, he was the only one who convincingly portrayed the character’s emotional desperation, even shedding tears while acting out the scene of a son pleading for his father’s love as he dies.

The studio refused to pay the actor, and reportedly told Sharon Stone, “Why someone nobody knows? You’re always sabotaging yourself. If you want to hire him so badly, you can pay him from your own paycheck.” Stone decided to do exactly that, as she later wrote, “So I did.”

Stone said the experience motivated her to become a producer, allowing her to advocate for actors she admired. She explained that in the entertainment industry, actresses receiving producer credits are often seen as simply being paid to stay out of the creative process – a practice sometimes called a ‘vanity deal.’

I’m not willing to agree to a deal that just benefits them, and I make that clear right away. I believe what they’re suggesting is against the law, and I always prefer to operate legally. Usually, that leads to awkwardness and they don’t seem very happy about it.

Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in three films in 1995: The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries, and Total Eclipse. The following year, his career took off with the blockbuster Titanic. He continues to be a leading actor in major movies, recently starring in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Sharon Stone’s choice to support a young Leonardo DiCaprio demonstrates her commitment to championing promising actors, even if it involves taking a chance.

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2026-01-31 19:14