Prime Video: Just 7 days left to see this iconic scene still talking about 30 years later

Released in 1992, Basic Instinct is a Paul Verhoeven classic, despite an interrogation scene that remains controversial. Let’s go back to this moment that marked the history of cinema.

Because, in fact, it responds to the scene endlessly and keeps the ink flowing. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven has never shied away from depicting violence and sex in his films. And basic instinct is once again in evidence.

From a script by Joe Eszterhas, Basic Instinct follows Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas, fresh off a Palme d’Or at Cannes) as he investigates a murder.

In this case, Katherine Trammell (Sharon Stone) is the prime suspect because the victim is her lover and she was killed with an ice pick, just like in the novel she wrote.

Nick Curran is far from a saint and is very quickly drawn into his main suspect’s games of seduction and manipulation. And while the famous interrogation scene is the film’s most iconic moment, it wasn’t in the original script.

The idea came from Paul Verhoeven, who recalled a party he attended where he met a woman who was not wearing underwear. He told Verhoeven that he knew the effect it had on the other men at the party, and that’s how the director took inspiration from the encounter, believing that Katherine Trammell would do the same.

And that’s why, 30 years later, this scene is so controversial.

How was the scene filmed?

For the record, Sharon Stone almost never got the role that made her famous around the world. He was chosen when he was not yet known to the general public and after Michelle Pfeiffer and Demi Moore refused to play in the film. Verhoeven and Sharon Stone had previously worked together on Total Recall, so the director was no longer seen.

Then this is where the versions differ. In the film, everyone remembers that the mysterious Katherine Trammell reveals her privacy during a police interrogation. A very brief crossed/crossed legs scene that had nothing to do with the plot but unfortunately managed to overshadow practically everything else in the film.

In his autobiography under the name The beauty of living twiceSharon Stone revealed that she did not consent to this scene. Vanity Fair Excerpts published in 2021:

“After filming Basic Instinct, I was called to see it. Not just the director, as you might expect, but a room full of agents and lawyers, most of whom had nothing to do with the project.

This is how I saw my vagina photographed for the first time, long after I was told, “We can’t see anything.” You just have to take off your panties because white reflects light so we know you’re wearing panties.

Yes, there have been many views on this topic, but since I’m in the vagina, I’ll tell you that the other views are bullshit.“

The actor is sure that he did not agree to such an obvious scene. The indignation that he realized that he had been lied to even prompted him to consult a lawyer.

Also, director Paul Verhoeven is said to have frequently disrespected Sharon Stone behind the scenes on Basic Instinct. She said she would refuse to be called by her real name on set and was content to call her Karen.

So it’s understandable why the actor says he didn’t feel safe or welcome filming Basic Instinct, years before the #MeToo movement changed the film industry.

Unfortunately, even the most iconic films in cinematic history are plagued by rumors, behind-the-scenes drama, and general controversy.

The success of Basic Instinct is just one example among many. This film definitely pushed some boundaries by tackling topics that were taboo in mainstream film at the time. But many other limits were crossed during filming.

“Basic Instinct” False Fittings: