“I just need you to remove your p**ties”: Sharon Stone Was Tricked into Undressing for One Movie, Still Got Paid 28x Less Than a Marvel Star

Some people might argue that Sharon Stone’s infamous leg-crossing scene in Basic Instinct made her not only famous but also an instant symbol in cinema’s pop culture history. However, for the actress in question, the uncertainty of the scene combined with the humiliation of not knowing what she was getting into was not exactly a career highlight for her.

Despite Basic Instinct’s instant and ubiquitous success, the drama that unfolded behind and in front of the scenes was enough to compile into a whole other documentary. For Sharon Stone, however, the trauma from her career’s biggest and her personal breakout film left a lifelong impression on her mental health and emotional well-being.

Sharon Stone Reveals the Truth About Basic Instinct Scene

Hollywood, in the past decade, has made advancements in certain aspects of its operational logistics that were nowhere near the range of acceptability even in the tail end of the 1990s and the early Aughts. Among one of the good improvements was the addition of intimacy coordinators on sets to ensure the safety and respect the privacy of the film’s cast.

In the case of Basic Instinct which came out in 1992, the lack of such coordinators on set meant a lack of understanding between the directing unit and the actress, Sharon Stone, herself.

As such, when a member of director Paul Verhoeven’s production team “instructed” her on a particular aspect of her infamous leg-crossing scene, there were parts left unsaid that led to a huge mess in the aftermath of the film’s theatrical release.

In her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice [via Vanity Fair], Stone claimed:

That was how I saw my v*gina-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 v*gina, in question, let me say: The other points of view are bulls**t.

To be subjected to such a gross and underhanded exploitation of her basic human rights then caused her to suffer from extreme mental duress, which affected her personal life later on, as she lost custody of her then 4-year-old son.

Sharon Stone Spoke Up on Pay Disparity in Basic Instinct

Among the numerous Hollywood stars who have become vocal on the issue of pay disparity in the entertainment industry, Sharon Stone certainly paved the path for most. She became one of the first A-list Hollywood actresses to constantly bring the aggrieved issue to the forefront of every interview, opinion piece, and other discourse.

After Basic Instinct broke box office records and became a Hollywood sensation, the actress’s overnight success did barely anything to numb the blow caused by the stupendously low salary she received as compared to her male co-star Michael Douglas.

In her speech at the New York Women In Film & Television’s 43rd annual Muse Awards, Stone revealed [via Page Six], “Michael Douglas made $14 million. Now, I was new. I was new and he was a very big star.” Moreover, in an InStyle magazine essay, she further revealed:

People thought I was crazy, but the truth is I wasn’t getting paid much compared to my male costar. I made $500,000; Michael made $14 million.

Compared to Douglas, the film’s breakout star and lead attraction made a paltry $500,000 — an amount that was 28x less than her co-star, despite double the effort on her part for the role of novelist-turned-murderer Catherine Tramell.

Basic Instinct is available to stream on Hulu and Paramount+