Sharon Stone: whether purring or growling, in life or onscreen, Sharon Stone, who appears this month in Catwoman, is one of a kind. Legendary actress Jeanne Moreau, who knows a thing or two about raising eyebrows herself, gets the scoop

In a culture punch-drunk on celebrity worship, where even reality TV stars have fan clubs, beauty alone does not a legend make. Or to paraphrase Sharon Stone, one can only sleep one's way to the middle. Since famously uncrossing her legs in 1992's Basic Instinct, Stone has starred in more than a dozen thrillers, dramas, and comedies, and though inconsistent in quality, her body of work radiates that special brand of charisma that sets a star apart from the legions of wannabes. Stone's latest film, Catwoman, finds the 46-year-old actress at the wrong end of the superhero-villain spectrum as a cosmetics magnate who's beautiful only on the outside. Here, Stone chats with good friend and fellow certified sex goddess Jeanne Moreau about beauty, behaving herself, and her life's next chapter.

JEANNE MOREAU: I'm so thrilled to be able to speak with you. So, I'm going to ask you a few questions.

SHARON STONE: Okay, darling.

JM: What is your present state of mind?

SS: You know, sometimes I feel well and vital in the world, and sometimes I just feel so distressed I want to pull my hair out by the roots.

JM: You mean because of the general situation all around us?

SS: Yeah.

JM: It's very painful because even if you're creative, the life of the world catches up with you.

SS: It does. I watched Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 last night. I was so grateful that someone finally went into the war zone and filmed those young boys driving tanks with rock music blaring over the PA system, and being told to do it in that way. The film showed children and women getting hurt, then interviews with these young men and women with their souls being ripped to shreds as a result. It helped to explain that some of the acting out we've been seeing lately [on the part of the armed forces] is a result of post-traumatic stress syndrome--it's what happens to these vital, sweet young souls when they're thrust into this complete chaos. These young, beautiful people are standing there, asking themselves why. Finally someone has put this on film so your average citizen can say, "Oh, this is what war looks like." It doesn't look like a bunch of flag-waving and flashy uniforms.

JM: And brilliant warriors.

SS: Yeah, standing on the bow of a ship at sunset.

JM: I feel the same as you do. Sometimes watching TV, I can't help crying.

SS: Oh--it breaks my heart. I feel like war should occur only for the most vital and necessary reasons, and only then.

JM: Only when your freedom is attacked.

SS: To protect the downtrodden, but not like this.

JM: I understand that very much, my love. Nowadays, what is your idea of happiness?

SS: Well, I think when we can turn to the person sitting next to us and really see them with kindness and see ourselves reflected back--when there's some dignity and compassion traveling back and forth.

JM: The only way we can go against all the terrible things happening in the world is to enjoy what we've got here, to say thank you to be with loved ones, thank you for being healthy. I believe in energy and prayers. And your art--that's your gift to people, don't you think so?

SS: I think we have to be not so afraid of scarcity. We have to be willing to give away all things. I mean, what's the big deal?

JM: Well, these are questions that were inspired by the questionnaire Proust answered when he was very young, before he began writing what became those marvelous books [In Search of Lost Time]. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the film you made, Catwoman, which is going to appear on the screen very soon. You could say to me that, compared to what we just spoke about, this subject seems to be a little frivolous. But that is what life is about, you know? I'm impatient to see the film.

SS: You know we had your marvelous Pitof directing this movie. He's just great.

JM: Yeah, that's what I read. And I was struck by something someone associated with the film said about the plot, which involves a cosmetics company that represents the people who prey upon women's insecurities. And we know about that as actresses.

SS: Certainly. When you're a regular gal, you look in the rearview mirror, and in the bright daylight you see that line around your mouth, but when you're an actress and you see that line up on the big screen, it's, like, seven feet long.

JM: Yeah. That's why you have to be young enough to be perfect.

SS: You know what, though? I've got to say, I really like being my age; I really like being in my forties. Maybe it's because I've spent so much of my adult life in Europe and have the luxury of being appreciated by Europeans. They tend to really understand and appreciate a grown-up woman, and the sex appeal and the sensuality of a grown-up woman. Or maybe I have a brain in my fucking head--pardon my swearing, which I'm trying to stop. I like being a woman, not a girl.

JM: Yes, and that's the way you are appreciated here. People are so much in love with you in Europe. And, as you say, what is most important is to be yourself and look like yourself.