The 'Basic Instinct' actress is overwhelmed with emotions when a Syrian doctor chronicles his journey to fleeing the war-torn country and seeking refuge in the United States.
- Aug 9, 2020
AceShowbiz - Sharon Stone broke down in tears during an online chat with Syrian refugee and medic, Dr. Heval Kelli.
Speaking as part of diplomacy organisation Liberatum's Lifesaving Conversations initiative, the "Casino" actress talked to Dr. Kelli about the Covid-19 pandemic's effect on refugees and society's most vulnerable.
Sharon broke down in tears as Dr. Kelli, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia and has been helping fight the coronavirus, described his early life as a refugee, when he was forced to flee Syria as a child and live in refugee camps in Germany before arriving in the US just after 9/11.
Explaining his sadness at how attitudes to refugees have changed, Dr. Kelli told Sharon, "There is a sentiment of 'we don't want refugees in America' but I was that refugee. I came here in 2001, I was welcomed by Christian church members, even after 9/11 I was still welcomed."
Sharon shed tears listening to his experiences, and also explained how she had "an existential crisis" after her nomination for a Golden Globe for "Basic Instinct" in 1993 drew derision - and made her turn to activism, raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in particular.
"I started to recognise how fame was a tool... I started to question if I was so powerful as an actress and it was still a joke what was the point of being 'the biggest actress' if it didn't have any real meaning or respect?" she mused.
"I started to think about, perhaps I should start to apply my fame to something with real meaning or value," she added.
Sharon's chat with the heroic doctor is part of Liberatum's new series, "Lifesaving Conversations", which also features Michael Douglas and Zoe Saldana, and aims to shine a light on extraordinary people helping communities amid the coronavirus pandemic and other international crises.
