Sharon Stone ‘got so bruised up’ while filming a pivotal scene for Casino that film bosses weren’t sure she would be physically able to come in the next day.
The 66-year-old – who shot to worldwide fame thanks to 1992 flick Basic Instinct – lit up the screen as Ginger McKenna three years later in the iconic mafia movie with Robert De Niro, directed by Martin Scorsese.
She has since described her former co-star as ‘far and away’ the best kisser she had ever shared the screen with, branding their experience on set ‘pretty fabulous’.
However, the star was put through her paces in some of those scenes, as Nicholas Pileggi – who wrote the book and screenplay the movie was based on – recalled her getting injured in front of the camera.
Speaking to , the acclaimed author and journalist raved about the entire cast, but there was one name that stuck out to him more than most – as he commended Sharon for being ‘tough’ as well as a great actress.
‘Sharon Stone, I cannot tell you what a great actress she is in Casino,’ he told us. ‘She got bruised with Bob. There’s a scene in Casino where he drags her along the floor to throw jewelry at her, to get rid of her.
‘She didn’t break ribs but had all kinds of bruises and contusions. They did it so realistically that she really got bruised up to battle.
‘Nurses were looking at her, they wondered whether she’d even be able to come in the next day.
‘It was all patched up and everything, she came in the next day ready to work. I remember Marty and Bob were so impressed with her.’
‘You think Sharon Stone is just a beautiful blah, blah, blah,’ Nicholas shared. ‘No, no, she is just as tough as they were, and they just fell in love with her from then.
‘You can see that in who these actors really are, it’s quite an insight into their character, and it just makes you admire them for a lot of reasons that their audiences and their fans don’t know, and how good they are.’
Casino came out in 1995, and followed two childhood friends in Las Vegas – casino kingpin Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein (Robert) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) as they battle for control of the gambling empire, as well as Ginger’s affections.
Although it was a physically demanding role, Sharon clearly stole the show and earned an Oscar nomination for best actress – but eventually lost out to Susan Sarandon for Dead Man Walking.
She unpacked her time on set with Robert and Joe during an appearance on the Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast last November, branding them ‘astounding’ talents.
‘Gosh, the men I was cast opposite were so much older than me,’ Sharon recalled. ‘They were amazing, they were legends, they were astounding. They were all the big animals in the business. Every big superstar, I got to work opposite, every legend.
‘They were all 25-30+ years older than me when I was playing their paramours. I look at them now and I adore them, but they’re really, really elderly men now.
‘It was true to life. These women always were 20, 25, 30 years younger than the men, but if we dated someone 10 years younger we’d be a cougar.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Sharon’s reps for a comment.
This story was first published on June 29.