Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct role almost broke her, but it also made her into a mainstream Hollywood star. The film was praised for its performances and editing, while the s*xually explicit content became controversial. Stone revealed on multiple occasions that she was not treated equally like her co-star Michael Douglas despite both having significant roles. Only Douglas’ name appeared on the film’s poster, but that move helped her in a weird way.
Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
Stone revealed that Basic Instinct was promoted as a Michael Douglas film to the audience. However, when the film hit theaters at the time, many fans were curious to know the co-lead, who carried the whole film.

Sharon Stone’s Name Was Not Included In The Basic Instinct Poster, But It Helped Her

Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
While Basic Instinct today is largely remembered for the performance of Sharon Stone, she was pushed to the sidelines at the time of the film’s release. During a promotional interview for her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone revealed that she was paid too little compared to her co-star, Michael Douglas. She shared on Q with Tom Power:

“Michael made $14million and has points. I made not enough money to buy my dress to go to the Oscars the next year.”

During her recent appearance on the podcast, Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, Stone revealed the challenges she faced in her first Golden Globes-nominated role. Stone revealed that playing a s*x symbol in the film did not come easily, and the film faced a lot of resistance while filming. Although the bold and beautiful Sharon Stone was the USP of the project, her name did not make it to the film’s posters.

Stone shared that the film was largely marketed as Douglas’s movie. However, this discriminatory move helped the Casino actress in furthering her prospects. When the audience saw the movie, many couldn’t help but wonder who the girl that they saw throughout the movie was. Stone shared with Fly on the Wall:

“My name wasn’t even, you know, on the poster. I was not. It was a Michael Douglas movie. It was Michael Douglas’ Basic Instinct. And I was on the poster, but not my name. Which ultimately worked out to be quite beneficial for me because people were like, who’s the girl? Geez. She’s all through that movie. Who’s that girl? And it helped.”

Stone’s role has since been recognized for its groundbreaking depiction of s*xuality in mainstream Hollywood. The film, made on a budget of $49 million, went on to gross $352.9 million at the global box office (via Box Office Mojo).

Another Actress Almost Played The Lead In The Movie Before Sharon Stone

Batman Returns star Michelle Pfeiffer was the studio’s choice to play the lead in Basic Instinct
Sharon Stone also revealed her audition story with Dana Carvey and David Spade. Her audition for the movie lasted for almost eight and a half months. Interestingly, she was the 13th actress that the studio considered. According to Stone, the studio badly wanted one top actress to play the role, but she kept turning down the role.

It was none other than Batman Returns star Michelle Pfeiffer. Stone revealed her audition struggles in the podcast:

“They didn’t offer it to me right away. I had to wait for 13 other more important actresses to turn it down. And they really wanted Michelle Pfeiffer. They didn’t want me, but she turned it down and they kept going back to her and she kept turning it down, thankfully. And they offered it to just a ton of different people that weren’t me. And I just kept hanging in there and I kept screen testing and I kept auditioning for over eight months.”

Stone later grabbed her Golden Globes award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for Casino. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for the role. Basic Instinct is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.