Sharon Yvonne Stone

In 2001, Stone was linked to a biopic of the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. Prospective director, Paul Verhoeven, and Riefenstahl herself, favored Stone to portray Riefenstahl in the film. Verhoeven, with whom Stone had worked previously, pulled out of the project, reportedly because he wanted to hire a more expensive screenwriter than the producers did.
Stone was hospitalized on September 29, 2001 for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.
• Later work
In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of The Practice. For her performances, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Also in 2003, she appeared in a James Woods-directed American Stroke Association television commercial to raise awareness of the symptoms of stroke. This commercial was also shown in Canada courtesy of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with roles in the films Cold Creek Manor (2003) with Dennis Quaid, and Catwoman (2004) with Halle Berry; however, both films were critical and commercial flops.