Sharon Stone says she was tricked into *that* ‘Basic Instinct’ scene and is powerless to stop an XXX cut of the film being released

As die-hard Basic Instinct fans may already know this, but for anyone a little less familiar with the erotic thriller’s niche filming trivia, it turns out that the movie’s leading lady was tricked into filming one particular scene. You know the one I’m talking about… the one where Sharon Stone uncrosses her legs during an interrogation and there’s some brief full-frontal nudity. 

Commenting on the now-famous scene in her recent memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, the actress said that she was misled about how the scene was actually going to turn out, revealing that she was completely unaware her private parts would be exposed in the movie – kept in the dark right up until she saw a screening of the scene in a room filled with agents and lawyers. 

“That was how I saw my vagina-shot for the first time, long after I’d been told, ‘we can’t see anything, I just need you to remove your panties as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on.’ Yes, there have been many points of view on this topic, but since I’m the one with the vagina in question, let me say: the other points of view are bullsh*t,” Stone said of the incident. 

Later adding that she “had decisions to make”, you can bet that she confronted director Paul Verhoeven about it. Storming into the projection booth, Stone said that she proceeded to slap Verhoeven across the face before going to her car and calling her lawyer, Marty Singer. “Marty told me that they could not release this film as it was. That I could get an injunction.” Learning that it wasn’t legal to shoot up her dress, Stone went back to Verhoeven with what she’d found out. 

“I let Paul know of the options Marty had laid out for me. Of course, he vehemently denied that I had any choices at all. I was just an actress, just a woman… what choices could I have?” Saying that she “thought and thought” about what to do, Stone ultimately allowed the scene to remain in the movie – explaining that it was “correct for the film and for the character”. 

Obviously a huge breach of her trust, Stone has been very outspoken about how she felt exploited by the incident. But unfortunately, the saga doesn’t end there as, once again, Stone has found herself between a rock and a hard place as a result of that very scene. 

Due for re-release in mid-June to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the movie has been painstakingly restored over the course of the past two years. Planning an XXX director’s cut of the film, Mr Verhoeven personally oversaw the project  – drawing fans in with the promise of special “bonus material” from both Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone… and Stone can’t do anything about it. 

Explaining that while there are new rules (made by the Screen Actors Guild) on such matters, they were created after she had already done Basic Instinct and so, they don’t apply to her. Stone is powerless in what makes the final cut. Shocking, but not wholly surprising given some of the truly awful things actresses have attested to going through. 

Trying to bring light to the situation, Stone maintains that she doesn’t regret being in the film though – joking that “regrets are like farts, you can’t get them back. Once they’re out, they’re stinky and gone.”

Feature image via @sharonstone