Sharon Stone In Casino And The Powerful Presence Of Ginger

Although she is often remembered for her role in Basic Instinct, the role of Sharon Stone in Casino brings forward a strong performance.

Sharon Stone in Casino portrays Ginger, the prostitute wife of Ace, a dangerous mobster. Her performance begins confidently, an intelligent Las Vegas prostitute who uses her unique wit to avoid dangerous circumstances and events. Despite the confidence, the character is uniquely equipped with a darker side, which culminates in Ginger feigning being a happy bride one minute, and breaking down on the phone with her former pimp in the next. As this darker side to the character becomes more prevalent, the acting from Stone becomes more over the top to compliment the subtle downhill motion of the character.

The impressive acting is highlighted even more strongly by the fact that she does not get as much screen time as normally may be expected in this kind of role, or with this level of character development. Despite being considered a supporting character, there is a strong shift in the plot of the movie as Ginger descends deeper into chaos, showing her greedy, immoral, darker side, especially while performing acts such as smoking cocaine in the presence of a child.

Perhaps the peak of the emotionally draining performance happens when Ginger attacks Ace and breaks down - in the worst breakdown yet - in a way that summarizes the entire character in the span of just a few short minutes. In any case, it would have been a simple matter to overact such a dramatic, important scene and essentially ruin the plot through bad acting. Stone, however, is able to approach the scene with just the right amount of everything and leave it both believable, and still emotionally charged.

The downfall of this woman is the reason that Sharon Stone in Casino was an excellent casting decision. It was because of her that the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe - the nomination was for Stone as Best Actress and brought a lot of attention to Casino. Although she is sometimes criticized for overacting the part of Ginger, it is in the overacting that creates such a powerful female presence in Casino; the chaotic, degrading, weakening state of the woman who is being torn apart by guilt and her past. It is not that the actress is overacting, but rather that she is portraying a woman whose behavior is scarily similar to overacting. This over-the-top, powerful performance is what many will remember the actress for, in a movie made popular largely by her.