Sharon Stone Revealed Truth Behind Her Most Controversial Movie Moment

Few movie moments have become as unforgettable, or as controversial, as Sharon Stone’s leg-crossing scene in Basic Instinct. More than three decades later, the actress is finally opening up with raw honesty about how that single shot shaped her career and the way the world saw her. From feelings of betrayal to the unexpected burden of overnight fame, Stone’s reflections reveal the hidden cost of becoming a legend.

1. Sharon Stone opened up about the details of the famous movie scene.

When asked about the controversial scene, Stone said in her interview, “It made me an icon, but it didn’t bring me respect.”

Adding further context to her experience with the director, Sharon Stone elaborated on the situation. She said, “I very much believe that none of us knew at the time what we were getting in regard to that shot, and when Paul [Verhoeven] got it, he didn’t want to lose it, and he was scared to show me. And I get that.”

2. The actress revealed some mind-stirring details about the iconic scene.

She said once she calmed down, “I didn’t make him take it out of the movie when I had the legal right to. So I did have the chance to do it differently, and I didn’t because once I had the chance to step back, I understood, as the director, not the girl in the film, that that made the movie better.”

Stone went into more detail about her reaction in her memoir, “The Beauty of Living Twice.”

“First, at that time, this would give the film an X rating,” Stone explained. “Remember, this was 1992, not now. And, Marty said, per the Screen Actors Guild, my union, it wasn’t legal to shoot up my dress in this fashion. Whew, I thought.
After the screening, 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?”

3. Sharon revealed how the scene affected her career beyond Hollywood.

Stone admitted that while the scene made her a global sensation, it also came with a heavy price. She revealed that it took years to rebuild her career and prove her acting talent in roles that went beyond Catherine Tramell. While reflecting on how the scene didn’t bring her respect, she said: “It made me an icon, but it didn’t bring me respect.”

4. She spoke about the betrayal she felt after the film’s release.

In her memoir, Stone shared that she wasn’t initially aware of how much would actually be visible in the infamous shot. Actress recalled feeling deceived when she realized how revealing the shot would be. She described the moment she discovered the footage at a screening, calling Paul Verhoeven and even slapping him out of shock.

“There was tremendous pressure on that set,” she wrote. Despite this, she later made peace with the fact that the moment changed cinema forever and cemented her as an icon of the 1990s.

Today, Sharon Stone embraces the scene not just as a turning point in her career but as a defining chapter of film history. What once brought her notoriety and pain has also given her real power to reclaim her narrative. She may not have received respect at the time, but she carved out an undeniable legacy — and turned controversy into timeless icon status.