“I put in my contract that I could keep the clothes.”
Sharon Stone walked away from the set of Basic Instinct with some pretty important memorabilia — including her iconic white dress!
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images for La Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco
In a new essay about her experience on set, Sharon looked back on the film, which debuted almost 30 years ago.
Sharon says she knew she was the “right person for the role” immediately after reading the script, and the team behind the film agreed.
©TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
But despite nailing the role, she was still getting paid a whole lot less than her co-stars — namely Michael Douglas.
©TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
Sharon says she made a mere $500,000 compared to Michael’s $14 million, so she asked to add a clause to her contract.
“I put in my contract that I could keep the clothes. People thought I was crazy, but the truth is I wasn’t getting paid much compared to my male co-star. I made $500,000; Michael made $14 million,” Sharon wrote.
©TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
She continued, “So keeping my costumes was a really smart thing to do…I couldn’t believe how exciting it was and all of the incredible costumes that were being made just for me.”
Touchstone Pictures / ©Touchstone Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Sharon says the costumes made her “feel the power and the wealth” of her character, particularly the white dress from the interrogation room scene — which she still owns.
Tristar Pictures / ©TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“I remember asking the director, Paul Verhoeven, what he wanted me to wear for it. He jokingly said, ‘I don’t care if you wear a turtleneck and your hair in a bun.’ So I said, ‘Good, because that’s what I was thinking,'” Sharon shared.
©TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
She added, “We decided to go for all white because my character had a very Hitchcockian vibe. But Ellen [Mirojnick] designed the dress so that I could sit like a man if he was being interrogated. It gave me the ability to move my arms and legs, take up space, and exercise control over a room full of men.”
© TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
And when Sharon finished the scene, the dress was put inside a bag that she still hasn’t opened to this day.
“I’ve kept the white dress and coat. It was zipped up in a garment bag on the set, and it has never been opened since. I broke the zipper, so it’s hermetically sealed like a piece of art or a very cool time capsule,” Sharon admitted.
© TriStar / courtesy Everett Collection
You can read all that Sharon had to say here.
