Before they established a memorable on-screen couple in Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas had a heated first meeting that nearly ended their collaboration, according to Stone.
The actress talked candidly about her traumatic first encounter with Douglas years before they costarred in the 1992 thriller in a recent interview with Business Insider.
According to Stone, the two first crossed paths at the Cannes Film Festival, and after Douglas made a remark about someone she held in the highest regard, things swiftly became heated.
“I knew this individual he was referring to quite well. I said something, and he asked, “What the f–k do you know?” in response. It has to do with the bond between a parent and child.
The altercation continued after that. According to Stone, Douglas yelled at her in front of everyone.
“Oh, excuse me, superstar,” she clarified, “I’m not the type of person who does that.” “Let’s go outside,” I told him, pushing back my chair. We initially met in this manner.
Stone claims that when they went outside, she revealed that she was closest friends with the family he had been talking about.
After that talk, they separated amicably, but the tension persisted. When it came time to cast Basic Instinct, Stone stated, “I don’t think he wanted me to be his co-star.”
Stone thinks that despite the difficult beginning, the early conflict really benefited them on set.
