Sharon Stone's Salary For a Movie That Ruined Her Life Was 28 Times Lower Than Her Male Co-Star's
Not only did this movie turn out to be a curse for the actress, but it also failed to bring her money.
Basic Instinct was released in 1992, when viewers were introduced to an erotic thriller that became a classic of the genre.
Basic Instinct was released in theaters across the country and became one of the highest grossing movies of the 1990s, earning $352 million. At the same time, it was surrounded by scandals both during and after its release.
Director Paul Verhoeven became famous with the blockbusters RoboCop and Total Recall. Therefore, he demanded a fee of $5 million for the next movie.
Another $14 million had to be paid to Michael Douglas – the producer saw him as the male lead, and other actors such as Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro refused to appear completely naked on screen and play sex scenes without stand-ins.
Thus, the film company spent more than $20 million before shooting even began.
The actress for the role of the main villain was searched for a long time. Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and other actresses turned down the role. Then Verhoeven decided to invite Sharon Stone, with whom he had already worked in Total Recall.
The actress herself doubted that she would be cast, since everyone knew that a star would play in Basic Instinct, and she wasn't an experienced actress at the time. Therefore, her salary was quite modest – $500,000.
At that time, Sharon Stone's career was not successful, and the actress agreed to all the director's conditions.
The famous interrogation scene of Catherine Tramell at the police station was not in the script and was suggested by the director.
The director persuaded Sharon Stone to shoot the scene without underwear, claiming it would shine because of the spotlights.
The actress agreed, but had no idea that the director would keep it in the final cut. Sharon found out that the camera was filming everything under her skirt at a press screening.
Later, when Stone sued her ex-husband for custody of their son, the argument that the actress starred in vulgar movies became crucial – custody was given to her husband.
This triggered a series of difficult events in Sharon's life, but she was able to handle them and continue her acting career.