Featured Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images/TriStar Pictures
Topics: News, Celebrity, Film and TV, US News
Kit Roberts
Topics: News, Celebrity, Film and TV, US News
Sharon Stone has opened up about how the infamous scene in Basic Instinct led to her losing custody of her child.
The 1992 movie became renowned for its boundary-pushing depiction of sex and nudity.
One scene in particular has remained in the public imagination, and haunted Stone's life and career ever since.
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In the scene, Stone's character is being interrogated by police and as part of her mocking and taunting them she uncrosses and crosses her legs, and for a brief moment Stone's privates are visible.
The scene has been the object of innumerable parodies and ridicule, and Stone has opened up previously about how she felt 'humiliated' at her treatment following the movie's release.
But there was one sting from the scene which took things in a different direction entirely when she found out that she would lose custody of her child.
Not only that, but in court the judge specifically made a reference to Basic Instinct during the custody hearings.
Opening up about the hearing, Stone told the Table for Two podcast: “I lost custody of my child. When the judge asked my child – my tiny little boy: ‘Do you know your mother makes sex movies?’
"Like, this kind of abuse by the system – that I was considered what kind of parent I was, because I made that movie.”
Stone went on to highlight a double standard in how television and film has moved forward with being comfortable around nudity since then.
She said: “People are walking around with no clothes on at all on regular TV now and you saw maybe like a 16th of a second of possible nudity of me – and I lost custody of my child. Are you kidding?”
Recounting how the process had made her feel, Stone said simply: “It broke my heart. It literally broke my heart.”
The custody battle was not the only element of the film's backlash that affected her.
Stone said: “It was horrible. I was so humiliated,” Stone said. “Does anyone have any idea how hard it was to play that part? How gut-wrenching? How frightening? To try and carry this complex movie that was breaking all boundaries and everyone was protesting against, and the pressure.
"I auditioned for it for nine months. They offered it to 13 other people and now you’re laughing at me."
The star added: "I just wanted to crawl into a hole.”