Ever since Sharon Stone was announced as the villain in Nobody 2 about a year ago, we’ve been curious about how the actress best known for Casino, Basic Instinct and Total Recall would bring to the action comedy about an assassin-turned-family man. When CinemaBlend spoke to Ben Odenkirk, the movie’s star and producer, he shared the story behind how he convinced her to join the franchise, and his beloved Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul, had something to do with it.
When I sat down with Odenkirk during the Los Angeles Nobody 2 press junket, I shared my curiosity about getting Sharon Stone on board for the movie. He luckily had a great story about how she joined the cast. In his words:
One of the great things about showbiz is you do run into people at various events, and I ran into her at the Golden Globes, and she was complimentary to me on Better Call Saul. And, I appreciated that so much. I'm such a fan of her acting. She's fantastic. And, she's got a great autobiography too, by the way, if you haven't read it. And, we thought of a Big Bad – the Big Bad, that's what we call 'em in action films, I learned that term – I thought, what about Sharon Stone? Would she consider it?
Considering how great Bob Odenkirk was as Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul over the years, the actor was nominated for a lot of major awards during its six-season run, including earning five Golden Globe nominations. As Odenkirk expressed, during one of the times he was at the award shows, he actually met Sharon Stone, and she revealed she’s a big fan of the series.
He later remembered her when it came to casting the villain for Nobody 2. Here’s what happened next:
I wrote her a letter. I said, ‘This is a genre picture. And, if you wanted, if you'd be willing to consider doing a very big characterization. A lot of actors, it's all about subtlety. Get it more subtle, more gray area, more murky, more layers. And I go ‘No layers, OK? Just bad, evil.’ And, she was like ‘I get it, I’ll do it.’ So, I can’t believe she said yes. And then of course, she showed up ready to rock.
While Odenkirk admitted Stone’s character, which has been called “batshit crazy” by the Nobody 2 director, isn’t a complicated role, he really wanted the chance to work with the actress. So he wrote her a letter making his case, and obviously it worked. She in turn plays Lendina, who Hutch crosses paths with while trying to leave behind his assassin ways on a family vacation. Bob Odenkirk also said this about getting to share scenes with the talented actress:
But, as far as her on set and working with her, listen, I've just spent the last like 15 years working with some of the most studious, hardworking actors. Bryan Cranston, Rhea Seehorn, the Broadway show I just did with Kieran Culkin. And she's that, I mean, she's an utterly serious actor who wants to understand what her piece is, who she is, and the tone and how to make the most of it. So, I got it. And, I loved working with her. Loved it.
Now that the Nobody 2 release date is here, fans of the first Nobody movie can see what Sharon Stone brings to her role. The actress was actually originally going to play a DC villain in Blue Beetle, before she was replaced by Susan Sarandon. Thankfully, she found another juicy big bad role, this time with an actor she admired herself, in Bob Odenkirk.
And how sweet does this exchange sound? Bob Odenkirk and Sharon Stone seem to be genuine fans of each other’s work, and it ended in the pair getting to be in the same movie. You can see them in the latest of the 2025 movie releases, Nobody 2, now playing in theaters.
