Sharon Stone has recently shared a heartbreaking revelation about the personal cost of her role in “Basic Instinct.” The 1992 thriller is infamous for its provocative content and one scene has particularly impacted Stone in profound ways.
The movie is well-known for pushing the limits with its explicit portrayal of sexuality and nudity, creating waves of controversy and discussion.
One specific interrogation scene from the film, where Stone’s character manipulates a room of police officers with a suggestive gesture, has continued to stir conversations and left a lasting imprint on Stone’s personal and professional life.
In this scene, Stone’s character crosses and uncrosses her legs, briefly exposing herself, a moment that has been endlessly spoofed and criticized. Stone has openly expressed feeling ‘humiliated’ by how she was treated post-release of the film.
More distressingly, this role played a part in Stone losing custody of her own child. The impact of the film reached far beyond the screen.
In a shocking turn during the custody hearings, the judge referenced “Basic Instinct,” questioning the impact of Stone’s film career on her parenting.
On the Table for Two podcast, Stone recounted the painful moment: “I lost custody of my child. When the judge asked my child – my tiny little boy: ‘Do you know your mother makes sex movies?’
“Like, this kind of abuse by the system – that I was considered what kind of parent I was, because I made that movie.”
Throughout her discussion, Stone pointed out the hypocrisy in modern media, where nudity has become much more normalized, yet she faced severe personal repercussions for a brief moment of it on screen.
Expressing her frustration, she noted: “People are walking around with no clothes on at all on regular TV now and you saw maybe like a 16th of a second of possible nudity of me – and I lost custody of my child. Are you kidding?”
The emotional toll was immense. “It broke my heart. It literally broke my heart,” Stone said, reflecting on the ordeal.
The backlash and personal attacks didn’t stop at the custody issue. Stone shared how challenging it was to take on such a complex and scrutinized role.
“It was horrible. I was so humiliated,” she recalled. “Does anyone have any idea how hard it was to play that part? How gut-wrenching? How frightening? To try and carry this complex movie that was breaking all boundaries and everyone was protesting against, and the pressure.
“I auditioned for it for nine months. They offered it to 13 other people and now you’re laughing at me.”
Despite the severe personal costs, Stone remains a powerful figure in Hollywood, her experience a stark reminder of the challenges actors can face off-screen.
“I just wanted to crawl into a hole,” Stone added, capturing the depth of her distress during that tumultuous period.