Sharon Stone explains why she has to 'fast-forward' through modern sex scenes

Sharon Stone has weighed in on modern sex scenes and it turns out she’s not much of a fan.

The Hollywood icon, 68, said she has witnessed a noticeable shift in the way sexuality is portrayed on screen, claiming that intimacy on screen has lost the thing that made it powerful.

One of Stone’s most significant roles is in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct as crime novelist Catherine Trammel.

The 1992 film follows detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) as he investigates a brutal murder. The prime suspect is Catherine, who was the victim’s lover.

One provocative scene featured Stone crossing her legs while being questioned by the detective, revealing that she was not wearing any underwear. The scene is still discussed to this day as one of the most controversial moments in film.

TriStar Pictures

In a new interview in which she reflects on her career, and the scene that has become a major part of her career, Stone addressed the scene in relation to modern sex scenes.

“Sharon, when you look at your legendary career, what do you think about?” CBS anchor Gayle King asked. “I remember when Basic Instinct came out. Cross the legs, uncross the legs. And I remember, ‘Is she wearing panties?’ that’s how crazy it all became, right?”

“Right. It was a third of a frame,” Stone responded. “It wasn’t even an entire frame of film.

“And, so, people were desperately trying to figure it out. And I think that idea of, ‘Oh my God’, this hope, this wonder, this mystery, this intrigue, this yearning is something that is what all of our profound sexuality is based in.

“So often now, when sex scenes come on TV, I fast forward. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to have to go through all of this blatant, harsh sexuality. For me, it steals from my own imagination. And I prefer my yearning, mystery, desire. I want to keep that alive inside myself.”

Sharon Stone is reflecting on her scene in Basic Instinct (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Stone also acknowledged that the Basic Instinct scene had a lasting impact on her career.

“Oh my God, it changed everything,” she told King who noted that the film changed her ‘trajectory’.

Stone has discussed the scene in the past and says she has no regrets about the scene and revealed in a new interview that she had the legal right to remove the scene from the film, but ultimately chose not to.

“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,” she told Business Insider.

“Once I had time to calm 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.”