The Goddess Plays The Muse

This year Sharon Stone has revealed both her humorous and serious sides. With The Muse, she stars in her first comedy in 15 years.

But a few months ago, she took a hard look at her own life and made a personal controversial decision. She shared that and insights about her new film with CBS News This Morning Entertainment Contributor Eleanor Mondale.

"The movie is, you know, a very poignant, satirical look at our business," Stone says.

The character she portrays is also a bit temperamental. Yet to develop her role, Stone didn't have to look too far to get inspired.

"Well, I can't say I have not acted like a spoiled brat, just like this character - and that I have not, you know, wanted people to demonstrate that they valued me in stupid and superficial ways," she admits.

But she says that there is value to that behavior "oddly in the machinations of the film business, which is, that if you don't make people value you, they don't," she says.

And she explains, "It's not like, 'Oh, great, it's you. You're here. We're so glad.' It's like, 'She's here. We paid her. Let's go!'"

In show business, as in any big business, Stone observes, there are a lot of what she calls "isms," caused by fear.

"Ageism, sexism, racism, genderism, sexualityism, you know? And it's really important that we try to see ourselves with a sense of humor so that we can have a lot less 'isms' and a lot less judgments," she says.

That way, she explains, people can bring out what is good in their inner being.

"You know, what's good in us isn't about tall, short, fat, thin, 40, 20, 80. It's about what's inside," Stone says.

And to really see that in people, she says, "I think you have to accept it in yourself."

"The world tells us a lot of things about who we are and who we're supposed to be - and what all this stuff means. And you have to try to tune that out and hear 'you' to know that the 'you' is OK," she suggests.

Even though that seems not so easy to do, Stone says, it is not so hard either once you start.

"It's the pushing through the initial thing and saying, 'I don't have to be somebody's idea. What I am is OK,'" she says.

A few months ago Stone took a hard look at her life after the Columbine school shootings. She gave up her personal weapon arsenal to police to be destroyed.

"I'm too inept to have them around. It wasn't smart for me to have them. I'm not an expert," she says.

"I also don't have some kind of moral position that makes me believe it would be all right for me to kill somebody under any circumstance. So what the hell was I doing with a gun?" she asks.

But her positio created some controversy. "Some people think that's just, you know, how dare I have that opinion. Well, you know, you have yours. And great," she says. "It didn't feel right in my heart anymore."

For an interview with Albert Brooks, see "Brooks Muses On The Muse."

And to read about Andie MacDowell, also in the film, visit "MacDowell: Movie Star? Nope."

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