Movies

Go Behind the Scenes of ‘Basic Instinct’ With 11 Seductive Photos From the Set of the Stylish ’90s Thriller

See how Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas and director Paul Verhoeven brought the sexy blockbuster to life

By Abbey Bender September 6, 2025

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1. Sharon smiles

©TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection

Sharon Stone and Paul Verhoeven are all smiles in this black-and-white shot from the set. While they look happy here, Stone later said she felt tricked into exposing herself in the infamous leg-uncrossing interrogation scene, stating, “It was me and my parts up there. I had decisions to make. I went to the projection booth, slapped Paul across the face, left, went to my car, and called my lawyer,” though the director has denied her claims.
2. Swaggering on set

© TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection

In the ’80s and ’90s, Michael Douglas was the go-to for playing sleazy men (think Fatal Attraction and Wall Street), and here, he looks the part in aviator sunglasses as Verhoeven directs him. Douglas called the director “a very talented but wacko Dutch man,” and said, “I had a career, and I was taking a chance with a man who I knew wanted to push the envelope.”
3. Blonde bombshell

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Stone looks stunning in this glamour shot from the set. Basic Instinct gave the actress her breakout role, but she had already acted in 17 films and was in her 30s at that point, and admitted, “I had to find a certain coping mechanism to play that part, with all kinds of resistance around myself and around the film happening simultaneously. The ways that I had learned to disappear inside myself made it possible to disappear inside this character, who was as tough and smooth as the white silk scarf she wore.”
4. Sequins and denim

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Douglas is a bit more casually dressed than Stone in this portrait, and at the time the film was made, he was the bigger star, and was paid much more than she was, much to her chagrin. Unsurprisingly, there was some tension between Stone and Douglas on set, and she said that their dynamic “still isn’t comfortable for me, but I think it works very well for our work together."
5. Casual chic

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Is that a photo shoot from a ’90s J. Crew catalog? Nope, it’s just Stone and Douglas striking a pose during the filming of Basic Instinct. Stone may be most known for her eye-catching white minidress in the film, but her cozy sweaters are also pretty great.
6. Compelling in close-up

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Who’s provoking who? This dramatic close-up portrait perfectly captures the film’s tense dynamic. Even with the on and offscreen drama between them, Douglas called Stone “a fabulous actress . . . just perfect for the role.”
7. Cafe cop

©TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection

Here, the crew films a scene on location at San Francisco's Tosca Cafe. The historic restaurant served as Douglas’ post-work hangout in the film, and has been open since 1919.
8. Hard at work

©TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection

Basic Instinct mixes old Hollywood mystery with ’90s slickness, and both Verhoeven and his cinematographer, Jan de Bont, seen here with Douglas, put a lot of work into creating a memorable aesthetic. When asked about the film’s distinctive look, Verhoeven said, “It is a film noir, but it’s not noir that much. We always wanted it to be more white than black.”
9. Paul and Jeanne

© TriStar /courtesy Everett Collection

Jeanne Tripplehorn played a police psychologist who harbors dark secrets (and has an affair with Douglas, naturally). Here, she listens intently to Verhoeven’s direction, but after the film was released, she shared that she found it “really cheesy.”
10. The Dutch master

(c)TriStar Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

What’s Verhoeven thinking about? Probably how to make Basic Instinct as shocking as possible! After the ’90s, erotic thrillers began to wane in popularity, and in 2021, the director said, “There’s been a general shift towards Puritanism. I think there’s a misunderstanding about sexuality in the United States. Sexuality is the most essential element of nature. I’m always amazed people are shocked by sex in movies.”
11. The gang’s all here

Pool BENAINOUS/DUCLOS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

The director and cast of Basic Instinct look charming in this shot from the film’s Cannes debut. We particularly love Stone’s cute sunflower dress!

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