Sharon Stone, who in the Nineties made a name for herself as a blonde with brains and a killer body, is back looking no less sexy and nothing near her 47 years

Stone is about to return to her beginnings and revisit one of the sexiest roles ever to come out of Hollywood, reprising the role of Catherine Tramell - the lethal seductress who 13 years ago had jaws dropping with that famous 'leg crossing' scene. Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction has her topping an oddball cast including David Thewlis and retired Premiership soccer star Stan Collymore.

Not just another LA bimbo?
The role of Catherine Tramell transformed the life of the previously unsung actress all those years ago. Stone went from 'just another LA bimbo' to instant icon, but while she tried to carry on the momentum in half-hits like Sliver, Intersection and Diabolique, Stone struggled to come up with another lead role to rival Tramell's rampant sexuality.

It was only in Casino, where she played Robert De Niro's chillingly neurotic wife, that audiences finally saw what Sharon was capable of as an actress. She has furthered that reputation in the years since, but still had no qualms about going back to a role that threatened to typecast her as the ultimate femme fatale.

'Playing Catherine was a liberating experience because I needed to dig up a lot of buried emotions, which makes you deal with your own fears of who you really might be and who you're escaping from,' says Stone. 'I discovered that I wasn't the failure that, at the back of my mind, I thought I was.

A true feminist?
Sharon Stone has always been outspoken when it comes to the battle of the sexes, 'women have always been the victims in this world' she says. 'We're trained from an early age to submit to men and bury our integrity inside this veneer of femininity and other stereotyped images of how we should behave.

'That's why it's wrong for women to manipulate men and exercise power by being coquettish' Stone advises. 'I've played that game for many years because I believed I really didn't have a choice. But now I find it more effective to simply be assertive and defend my interests as intensely as any man would. The key is having no fear.'

And there's no doubt that Stone is relishing the chance to stick two fingers up at the critics who say a woman of her age is past the Basic Instinct type of roles.

'I think my image really unnerves (my critics),' she grins - flashing a perfect set of teeth. 'They need to say that I got so famous because I crossed and uncrossed my legs because they can't face the fact that my character is so empowered that she just says, "You can kiss my ass!"'

Aging gracefully?
'As far as getting older is concerned, I haven't had plastic surgery and I wouldn't have it in the future'. She continues 'I'm not afraid of ageing. I stopped being afraid of life a long time ago.' Here, Stone refers to her well-publicised brush with death in 2001 when she suffered a brain haemorrhage and needed emergency surgery.

'When I was growing up I was always overwhelmed by different kinds of fear' she says. 'I was always haunted by the sense that I was this nerdy, smart kid who couldn't connect to people that easily and never felt comfortable with the world in general. She continues 'I can still get nervous and anxious about things now, but I find myself almost spontaneously dampening those feelings down. You realise that your fear is just a trap.'

Best of both worlds?
Another change has been brought about by her children. Five-year-old Roan was adopted when the actress was married to newspaper editor Phil Bronstein (the couple divorced in January last year) and baby Laird was taken in earlier this year.

'Laird coming into my life has been the best time of my life,' she says. 'It shows a single woman can do it all. I'm proud of Broken Flowers (a comedy flick where Stone features alongside leading man Bill Murray) and Basic Instinct 2 and proud that I have combined those projects with motherhood which isn't easy if you're doing it on your own.'

Looking for love?
With her kids and her movies, it is perhaps little surprise Stone has little time for men these days. She admits she still finds it hard to meet men - but that too could be down to her hard image. 'I suppose I can be intimidating,' she laughs. 'But I'm no monster.'

The fellas will no doubt be running for cover by the time Basic Instinct 2 hits cinema screens next spring but Stone is an old hand at dealing with the downside of fame. 'There are different seasons in your life,' she says. 'I had that period when I was consumed with all that and thought I was amazing but those days are over. I'm over me, and I don't worry about all that stuff any more.'