Sharon Stone opens up about career-defining role in 'Basic Instinct' in new book
In "The Beauty of Living Twice," Sharon Stone's new memoir, the actress takes an unflinching look at Hollywood, her career and that infamous scene in "Basic Instinct."
Calling herself a "nobody" in Hollywood before that film, she explains how hard she fought to get the role.
"'Basic Instinct' was my 18th movie," Stone wrote."For years, I had been getting pummeled doing a bunch of crap movies...I was 32 years old...aging out of the business I hadn't really gotten into yet. I needed a break."
She explained that her manager at the time had to break into the office of a casting director working with director Paul Verhoeven and steal the script for her.
"I had already done 'Total Recall' with Paul, but Michael Douglas didn’t want to test with me," she said. "Hey, I was a nobody compared to him, and this was such a risky movie."
Stone went on, "Eventually, after they had offered the part to 12 other actresses who had turned it down, Michael agreed to test with me." The pair became good friends.
She had to find her inner Catherine Tramell to play her killer character. She also had to find peace with that scene, the one in which her character strategically uncrosses and then crosses her legs, making her police interrogators sweat.
"So I...chose to allow this scene in the film. Why? Because it was correct for the film and for the character; and because, after all, I did it," she recalled.
Stone added, "By the way, you probably don't recall, but my name wasn’t at the top with Michael Douglas' on the poster."
The movie became a smash and her character gave her an edge she needed to navigate the industry that had finally recognized her.
