Sharon Stone, who may have cemented her own status as a sex symbol after her role in 1992’s “Basic Instinct” — said in a recent interview that she now fast-forwards through “blatant, harsh” sex scenes when she watches television.
Stone spoke with “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King about her acting career, the split-second that made her an icon, and how what is acceptable onscreen when it comes to sex has changed over the years — and the actress argued that the change wasn’t necessarily for the better.
King referenced the famous scene from “Basic Instinct,” saying, “Sharon, when you look at your legendary career, what do you think about — I remember when ‘Basic Instinct’ came out? Cross the legs, uncross the legs. And I remember — ‘Is she wearing panties?’ — that’s how crazy it all became, right?”
“Right. It was a third of a frame. It wasn’t even an entire frame of film,” Stone replied, saying that to her, the real attraction was tied up in the mystery.
“And, so, people were desperately trying to figure it out,” Stone continued, adding, “So often now, when sex scenes come on TV — I fast-forward. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to have to go through all of this blatant, harsh sexuality. For me, it steals from my own imagination. And I prefer my yearning, mystery, desire. I want to keep that alive inside myself.”
Stone went on to say that while that film had certainly opened a lot of doors for her career, she felt it also typecast her in a way that hurt her personal life.
WATCH:
“Basic Instinct” changed the trajectory of Sharon Stone’s career — but she told @gayleking that she also felt like she was being “punished for the behavior of others.” pic.twitter.com/UHGTfe5ZXn
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 31, 2026
“In many ways, I feel like I wasn’t protected and taken care of. And then, in many ways, I feel I was punished for the behavior of others,” Stone said, adding that it had played out when she lost custody of her son, Roan, in 2008.
“I lost custody of my child,” Stone told King. “My child was put on the stand in custody court and asked if his mother did sex movies. I mean, things that were bizarrely inappropriate … People treated me in ways that were … very cruel and unkind, as if I was some sort of slatternly, vulgar person.”
“Like you were wearing a scarlet A on your head,” King interjected.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, I played a character — 30 years ago. Like, grow up,” Stone added.
Reports indicate that Stone’s then-8-year-old son was asked about his mother’s films, and that the perceived stability of his father Phil Bronstein’s home also factored into the custody dispute.
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