Sharon Stone nearly starved to death while making Casino. The actress didn’t eat for a week before filming a crucial scene because she was so desperate to impress director Martin Scorsese by looking “skinny and out of it.”

Sharon recalled prepping for her Oscar-nominated role for an interview with Prestige magazine:

“I nearly actually physically killed myself making Casino. We did the death scene on the last day because Scorsese knew I wanted to get just so completely skinny and out of it. In the final week I didn’t eat, I didn’t do anything, I just made myself a complete wreck so that I could get skinny, skinny, skinny, skinny and down to nothing. I lost so much weight.”

Since she entered her 50s, Sharon is far more relaxed about her body and thinks she is getting sexier with every year. “You should just be confident and comfortable and at ease and OK to be sexy in middle age as a woman. It’s fun. And not a big deal,” the 51-year-old blonde star explained. “We should be able to appreciate that sensuality and sexuality go along with this motto of wisdom and intelligence and dignity and elegance as a goal.”