Sharon Stone might’ve gained prominence in the ’90s for playing a femme fatale in “Basic Instinct,” but her transition from film to TV allowed her to stand out in a whole new way. After winning a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in “The Practice,” the actor continued to further her TV presence by starring in a short-lived action drama series, “Agent X.” In it, she played Vice President Natalie Maccabee, who uses her position of power to protect a major state secret.
Maccabee finds out that there is more to the country’s Constitution than the public is aware of, including a section that grants her permission to summon a secret agent for undercover operations. In addition to handling off-the-book emergencies with the CIA and the FBI, Stone’s character is also reeling from her husband’s passing.
The Vice President works alongside secret operative John Case (Jeff Hephner) and her steward, Malcolm Millar (Gerald McRaney), to keep the Agent X program afloat. From nuclear weapons to fractured global alliances, Maccabee and her team are often under pressure to maintain the peace (no matter the means with which they achieve it). “Agent X” didn’t garner critical acclaim (in fact, TVLine’s review deemed it a stone-cold flop), but Stone was excited to venture into TV. “I just think television kind of has more to offer right now,” she told TheWrap in 2015.
After Agent X, Sharon Stone starred in several prestige dramas
Sharon Stone’s next small-screen leading role was in one of the best HBO series, created by Steven Soderbergh. In “Mosaic,” the actor starred as Olivia Lake, a children’s author whose disappearance ignites a complex investigation. “Mosaic” was first released as an interactive app, where people could experience the story through their chosen character’s perspective. The non-linear narrative introduced through the app also translated to the screen adaptation, making it a compelling thriller.
After “Mosaic,” Stone starred in other prestige dramas including “The New Pope”, “The Flight Attendant,” and “Ratched,” the latter being a Ryan Murphy-produced prequel to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” that was canceled after Season 1. She also joined the “Euphoria” Season 3 cast, which divided opinions week after week. Despite the criticism, the “Basic Instinct” alum voiced her appreciation for the series. “I think it’s the greatest show on television,” she shared on Variety’s Actors on Actors. “We’ve met these kids. We’ve seen them turn into young adults. We’ve seen them turn into full-on drug dealers.”
