Sharon Stone has become so synonymous with amfAR, the foundation for AIDS research, that YouTube’s top suggested tag for this video was “Sharon Stone (activist)” not “Sharon Stone (actor).”
Stone, amfAR’s global fundraising chair, who first got the call to host years ago when Elizabeth Taylor was a late scratch and has never looked back since, has proved to be an innovative auctioneer over the years. There have been face-sucking makeouts on the auction block and for the second year in a row, a trip to space with Leo DiCaprio. It raised a million dollars alone for the AIDS research foundation alone.
“Sharon Stone, she gets people to open their wallets, and they do, because she’s a goddess,” Jessica Chastain told TheWrap of Stone’s skills on the carpet at the 21st Cinema Against Aids on Thursday night.
Upon arriving at the Hotel du Cap, Stone also opened something else: her tear ducts.
Watch TheWrap’s video:
In the two minute video above, Stone says “Now we have (a) cure for pediatric AIDS, and we did it together,” referencing both the media scrum in front of her and the donors filing in behind her. “And now we’re on our way to a cure for adults,” she said.
Sidestepping a deep dive in to the science behind Stone’s statements, the arithmetic is clear. Last year’s event during the Cannes Film Festival raised $25 million dollars in one night. This year’s reportedly raised $35 million.
Thursday night’s event, with performances by Robin Thicke and Lana Del Rey, and tables ranging from Rosario Dawson, Justin Bieber, hosts Harvey Weinstein and David Glasser, Marion Cotillard, John Travolta, Andrea Bocelli, to millionaire bad boy of Instagram Dan Bilzerian, Jane Fonda, Jessica Chastain, Justin Bieber, the “Adrien/Adrians” (Brody and Grenier) and Bar Rafaeli headlining a runway full of supermodels, the mood on site was anything but teary.
Watch the 2:00 minute video above for the un-icy Sharon Stone we all grew up not knowing.
Or click here to watch Justin Bieber tell you why he showed up.
TheWrap’s Party Report from Cannes is appropriately presented by a festive partner, Stella Artois, the official beer of the Cannes Film Festival for 13 years.