Sharon Stone says her first encounter with Michael Douglas during the 1990 Cannes Film Festival erupted into a shouting match that nearly derailed her casting in Basic Instinct. In a new interview with Business Insider, the actor recalled challenging Douglas outside a party after he insulted a friend, claiming the tension later prompted him to refuse an early screen test with her. Stone maintains that director Paul Verhoeven kept replaying her audition tape until Douglas relented, paving the way for the thriller that would gross $353 million worldwide in 1992.
Douglas disagrees with that timeline. A representative for the Oscar winner says his first meeting with Stone occurred at her screen test, adding that he immediately backed her for the role and has “no memory” of a Cannes argument. Both performers emphasise that they are close friends today, crediting any early friction with sharpening their on-screen chemistry.
The resurfaced anecdote has revived focus on the wide pay gap between the co-stars. Stone received $500,000 for portraying Catherine Tramell, while Douglas earned $14 million, a disparity she has called emblematic of Hollywood’s gender-based salary inequities.
Interest in the decades-old drama arrives as Amazon MGM and original screenwriter Joe Eszterhas prepare a reboot of the erotic thriller, aiming to re-introduce the material to a new generation of viewers. With production details still under wraps, the debate over how Stone first secured the role—and how much she was paid for it—underscores the lasting cultural footprint of Basic Instinct and the ongoing conversation about equity in high-profile studio projects.
