Sharon Stone has opened up about the unconventional audition that helped her land the role of Ginger McKenna in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 crime drama Casino, revealing that she went into the audition completely transformed into the character.
Stone recalled that Robert De Niro told her the real-life casino executive Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal had a contractual clause requiring his personal approval before she could be cast as his wife in the film.
The actress said the audition took place in a small hotel suite in California, with De Niro and director Martin Scorsese present, while Rosenthal was also there.
“I came as the character, completely as the character,” Stone recalled.
Despite her confidence in the character, Stone admitted that she was initially nervous about fully committing to the performance because she was concerned that De Niro and Scorsese might dislike her approach or think she was taking the audition too far.
However, she decided to trust her instincts and completely embody Ginger, the character she was being considered to play.
Stone recalled arriving at the audition wearing what she described as an extremely inappropriate dress for the setting, deliberately adopting Ginger’s provocative and fearless personality rather than simply reading lines as herself.
Her performance reportedly became even more unexpected when she interacted directly with Rosenthal during the audition.
At one point, Stone said she put her hands on Rosenthal’s thighs while holding a cigarette in her mouth and told him to light it.
The actress has previously described the role as one of the most demanding and transformative performances of her career, with Ginger portrayed as a complicated woman caught in a turbulent relationship with De Niro’s character, Sam “Ace” Rothstein.
Casino, released in 1995, was directed by Scorsese and starred De Niro, Stone and Joe Pesci. The film was inspired by real events and figures connected to the Las Vegas casino world.
Stone’s performance as Ginger earned widespread recognition and ultimately brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Looking back, her audition story illustrates just how far she was willing to go to convince Scorsese, De Niro and Rosenthal that she understood the character. Rather than simply explaining how she would play Ginger, Stone said she walked into the room already living as the character she hoped to portray.
The unusual audition became a memorable part of the story behind one of Stone’s most celebrated film roles.
