Sharon Stone is sounding off on what she sees as a shift in how sexuality is portrayed on screen.<\/p>\n
The \u201cBasic Instinct\u201d icon<\/a> said today\u2019s\u00a0on-screen intimacy\u00a0has lost the very thing that once made it powerful \u2014 mystery.<\/p>\n In a candid sit-down interview, Stone reflected on the infamous scene that helped define her career.<\/p>\n \u201cSharon, when you look at your legendary career, what do you think about \u2014 I remember when \u2018Basic Instinct\u2019 came out? Cross the legs, uncross the legs,\u201d\u00a0anchor Gayle King<\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cAnd I remember \u2014 \u2018Is she wearing panties?\u2019 \u2014 that\u2019s how crazy it all became, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. It was a third of a frame,\u201d Stone fired back. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t even an entire frame of film.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, so, people were desperately trying to figure it out,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd I think that that idea of \u2018oh my god,\u2019 this hope, this wonder, this mystery, this intrigue, this yearning is something that is what all of our profound sexuality is based in.<\/p>\n \u201cSo often now, when sex scenes come on TV \u2014 I fast-forward,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to see it. I don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Sharon Stone discusses the change in on-screen intimacy in television during an interview with Gayle King on March 31, 2026. CBS Mornings\/YouTube<\/p>\n Sharon Stone in a scene from \u201cBasic Instinct\u201d 1992. \u00a9TriStar Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n The actress also acknowledged the lasting impact of her breakout role and the complicated legacy that followed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that did change the trajectory of your career, it seems,\u201d King noted.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my God, it changed everything,\u201d Stone responded.<\/p>\n When asked how she feels about it today, Stone was candid about the\u00a0personal cost.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, I feel like I wasn\u2019t protected and taken care of. And then, in many ways, I feel I was punished for the behavior of others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I lost custody of my child. \u2026 My child was put on the stand in\u00a0custody court\u00a0and asked if his mother did sex movies. I mean, things that were bizarrely inappropriate,\u201d Stone explained. \u201cPeople treated me in ways that were \u2026 very cruel and unkind, as if I was some sort of slatternly, vulgar person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike you were wearing a scarlet A on your head,\u201d King added.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I mean, you know, I played a character \u2014 30 years ago. Like, grow up,\u201d Stone said.<\/p>\n Sharon Stone in NYC on Jan. 30, 2025. sharonstone\/Instagram<\/p>\n Sharon Stone arrives at CBS Studios in New York on March 30, 2026. Rick Davis \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n Stone\u2019s remarks echo frustrations she voiced earlier this year, when she took aim at what she described as\u00a0Hollywood\u2019s double standard\u00a0over nudity.<\/p>\n In an Instagram video posted in February, the\u00a068-year-old actress criticized\u00a0what she sees as hypocrisy after a film crew allegedly asked her to remove a painting of a nude woman from view during a shoot inside her home.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we supposed to be terrified when we look in the mirror?\u201d\u00a0she asked<\/a>\u00a0in part. \u201cIs it supposed to be a secret when we pee and poo and brush our teeth? Oh, are you supposed to look in there and go, \u2018Oh, why are we supposed to be afraid of our own human self?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Stone\u2019s remarks echo frustrations she voiced earlier this year, when she took aim at what she described as\u00a0Hollywood\u2019s double standard\u00a0over nudity. sharonstone\/Instagram<\/p>\n In the caption accompanying the video, Stone expanded on her thoughts, arguing that society remains uncomfortable with the human body while tolerating other forms of content.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy in 2026 are we still afraid of aging & living in our own selves? We are more than appearance. We are artists, mothers, sisters, wives, nurses, teachers \u2026 and the list goes on!\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI got really fired up about this when I was touring my studio a few weeks back. The filming crew had requested to move a painting out of shot, \u2018the Goddess,\u2019 who happens to be a naked woman. We are afraid of nudity on our screens, our bodies, our home \u2026 but not violence or every other thing we are constantly bombarded with day in and day out?<\/p>\n \u201cGet real!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Stone has continued to embrace her most iconic role during her illustrious Hollywood career.<\/p>\n In 2024, she paid homage to her \u201cBasic Instinct\u201d character, Catherine Tramell, by recreating the film\u2019s signature leg-crossing moment in a bold\u00a0Instagram post.<\/a><\/p>\n Dressed in red lace lingerie and seated in a white-and-gold chair, Stone paired the look with blue heels and a pearl necklace, offering a modern twist on the scene that once sparked global debate.<\/p>\n The famed actress rose to fame in the 1990s with breakthrough roles in \u201cBasic Instinct\u201d and \u201cCasino.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t