Academy Award nominee Sharon Stone ranks among the most talented actresses to ever grace the big screen. The acclaimed actress rose to prominence in the 1990s after starring in the iconic erotic thriller, Basic Instinct. Although Stone had landed roles in over a dozen films before Basic Instinct, none had been as sensational as the undeniably gorgeous deranged serial killer, Catherine Tramell.
While the 64-year-old was, from all indications, underpaid for the role, the fame and controversy it generated was by no means diminutive. Owing to the amorous role, Stone went from being a little-known actress to one of the most celebrated and criticized sex symbols of the 1990s almost overnight. Stone’s portrayal of Catherine was so provocative that, following the film’s premiere, her hotel room was ransacked by hordes of delinquent fans.
Basic Instinct Was Sharon Stone's First Role In A Major Production
Sharon Stone's illustrious acting career dates back to the 1980s, when she appeared in little known television shows like War and Remembrance and obscure films like Irreconcilable Differences, Above the Law, and Scissors. Despite being incredibly talented, Stone didn’t gain international recognition in 1992, when she portrayed the bisexual serial killer, Catherine Tramell, in Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct.
“For years, I had been getting pummeled doing a bunch of crap movies and so-so television, back in the day when TV wasn’t king. I was 32 years old when I got that job," Sharon disclosed in her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice. “I knew this was the last chance—I was aging out of the business I hadn’t really gotten into yet. I needed a break.”
The iconic film became an overnight sensation, catapulting Sharon into an unprecedented level of fame. “The film had so much crazy hype that the premiere was on the lot, not at a big theater,” Stone’s memoir reads.
“When the film ended, there was absolute silence. Faye [Dunaway] grabbed my arm and whispered, “Don’t move,” and I didn’t. Neither did Michael, in the seat in front of me. He looked left and right, at the producers and at Paul. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the crowd began to scream and cheer. “What now?” I said to Faye, to which she replied, “Now you are a big star, and they can all kiss your ass.”
Everything In Sharon Stone’s Hotel Room Was Stolen Following Basic Instinct’s Premiere
Owing to her provocative performance in the film, Sharon Stone soon found herself the subject of immense adoration and ridicule. Audiences were in such a frenzy that, following the film’s Cannes screening, fans broke into Stone’s hotel room and stole all her belongings.
“We went in, saw the movie, came out, and it was pandemonium,” Stone recalled during a 2021 interview with Variety. “The next morning, I went to the pool and everything I had in my hotel was stolen. My clothes, contact lenses, my underwear and toothbrush. Some guy ran to me and ripped out my toenail.”
Astoundingly, Stone had received such meager compensation for the role that, despite having hordes of adoring fans and critics, she couldn’t afford to replace the stolen items.
“People had broken into my room to steal Sharon Stone’s belongings. I was a star and one with no money to buy new clothes,” Stone wrote in her memoir. “I went upstairs at this hotel/restaurant and had the dry heaves in the toilet. My friend Shep put my feet in a bathtub of cold water and told me the new rules of what it meant to be famous and gave me a Valium.”
Sharon Stone Wasn’t Prepared For The Reality Of Being Famous
While Sharon Stone fought hard to attain her dreams of stardom, she soon realized that celebrity status wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
“Everyone has this idea that they want to be a movie star," she explained to Variety, “but when it actually happens, you go: ‘Holy f---.’ One day, you are driving down the street, you stop at the ‘stop’ sign and nobody cares. A week later, 30 people climb on top of your car. And you go: ‘Do I drive? Will they fall off?’ You don’t know what the rules are anymore.”
Apart from dealing with frenzied fans, Stone also found herself facing backlash for her provocative performance in Basic Instinct, leaving her career practically in shambles. Despite earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the film, Stone still believes that the film didn’t get as much respect as it deserved.
“Only now, do I go to events and there is a certain respect about that film,” her memoir reads. “Oh, that film is coooooool. But when I went to the Golden Globes as a nominee in 1993, and they called my name as a glamorous finalist, everyone laughed. Well, not everyone, but enough of the room so that I was told where I sat.”
