Sharon Stone has a surprise “SNL” appearance with Sam Smith

There was no shortage of guest appearances during the January 21 episode of “Saturday Night Live” hosted by Aubrey Plaza — Amy Poehler, Allison Williams, Joe Biden, the Property Brothers and Tony Hawk made appearances throughout the show — but the awards for the most surprising cameo of all goes to Sharon Stone. Halfway through the episode, Stone appeared on a bed of gold in front of Sam Smith and a choir as they performed the theme song from Smith’s new album Gloria. Towards the end of the song, the actor sat up and stared dramatically at the camera.

The moment, which is both weird and perfect at the same time, may have left some “SNL” fans confused as to why Stone was chosen for this piece of performance art. But when you delve into her film catalogue, it quickly becomes clear why Smith chose her. In 1999, the Golden Globe winner starred in Gloria, directed by Sidney Lumet, a remake of John Cassavetes’ 1988 film of the same name. Both are neo-noir films about a criminal’s girlfriend , who cares for a child despite her claims that she has no interest in being a mother.

For his part, Smith explained the meaning of the song’s and album’s titles during a November 2022 appearance on BBC Two’s Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers. “There’s a fighting voice in all of us, and that’s something to watch out for,” they said. “My album ‘Gloria’, I called it Gloria because I called that voice inside me Gloria, it’s like a voice in my head that just says, ‘You can do it.’ And kids just need to access that voice and feed it.”

In addition to her role in Smith’s ethereal “Gloria” performance, Stone also appeared in a noir skit with Plaza, in which they played a mother and daughter fighting over a (much) older man. Meanwhile, in her first performance of the night, Smith performed “Unholy” with Kim Petras, who emerged from beneath her voluminous pink dress. Check out Smith’s rendition of “Unholy” below.