Director Makes A Bold Claim About Sharon Stone's Most Infamous Moment

Sharon Stone's tell-all memoir, "The Beauty of Living Twice," hit shelves in March 2021 and has been causing a ruckus ever since. The iconic actor shared a ton of shocking revelations, many of which were harrowing to read. If anyone thought Stone had an easy childhood, think again.

One of the most unexpected parts of Stone's memoir had to do with that iconic scene in the 1992 classic "Basic Instinct." In an exclusive excerpt with Vanity Fair, Stone explained how she didn't realize the more explicit details of the scene where she uncrosses her legs made it into the film. "After we shot 'Basic Instinct,' I got called in to see it," Stone wrote. "Not on my own with the director, as one would anticipate, given the situation that has given us all pause, so to speak, but with a room full of agents and lawyers, most of whom had nothing to do with the project." It was at this moment that Stone realized the explicit scene made it into the movie, despite the director telling her: "We can't see anything—I just need you to remove your panties, as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on."

However, the director has spoken up and made a bold claim about Stone's statement. Here's what Paul Verhoeven said.

Director Paul Verhoeven responded to Sharon Stone's claims that she was unaware of the details of the infamous leg-crossing scene that made it into the final cut of "Basic Instinct." In an interview with Variety, published on July 7, Verhoeven was asked whether he "tricked" Stone into removing her underwear for the scene. Verhoeven replied: "My memory is radically different from Sharon's memory. That does not stand in the way and has nothing to do with the wonderful way that she portrayed Catherine Tramell. She is absolutely phenomenal. We still have a pleasant relationship and exchange text messages."

"But her version is impossible. She knew exactly what we were doing," Verhoeven continued. "I told her it was based on a story of a woman that I knew when I was a student who did the crossing of her legs without panties regularly at parties. When my friend told her we could see her vagina, she said, 'Of course, that's why I do it.' Then Sharon and I decided to do a similar sequence."

Stone and Verhoeven clearly have very different attitudes towards the scene. In her exclusive excerpt with Vanity Fair, Stone said: "Do you have any idea how many people have watched 'Basic Instinct' in the last 20-something years? Think about it. It's about more than just a peek up my skirt, people."