Sharon Stone Reveals Her Manager Stole The “Basic Instinct” Script Before She Got On The 1992 Thriller

Sharon Stone nearly missed out on the role that would define her career and it wasn’t because of bad timing or a lack of talent. It was because no one would give her the script. In a new interview with Business Insider, Sharon, now 67, spilled the wild backstory of how she got her hands on the Basic Instinct script and it sounds like something straight out of a Hollywood heist movie.

“What happened was I wanted the part, but nobody would give me the script,” Sharon said. So her manager, Chuck Binder, took matters into his own hands… and his wallet. As the actress confessed: “So my manager, Chuck Binder, broke into the office by picking the lock with his credit card and stole the Basic Instinct script for me.”

Once Sharon read it, she was all in. “…I said, ‘I’m having this part,’ ” she recalled. It wasn’t instant success, though, as not everyone was convinced she was the right fit. But as more and more actresses passed on the steamy thriller, the role eventually landed in her lap. 

Released in 1992, Basic Instinct turned Sharon into an international star and dished out one of the most memorable movie moments ever in that leg-crossing scene. The film was a massive box office hit and even scored two Oscar nominations.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing on set. Sharon admitted that she and co-star Michael Douglas didn’t exactly hit it off at first. “He wouldn’t even test with me,” she said, pointing out that the actor likely did not want her to be his costar.

Michael, now 80, apparently doesn’t recall the tension. His rep told PEOPLE that he was “very surprised” by her account and doesn’t remember any arguments between them at the time. Still, the two eventually became close, as Sharon called them “the greatest of friends.” 

Looking back, Sharon credits Basic Instinct for helping her grow not just as an actress, but as a person by allowing her to confront her whole self. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2023, she stated, “But once you do it, you walk away with a tremendous amount of confidence because you’ve had to look at all of yourself, parts of yourself you would never have to dig deep and look at, scary parts, dark parts, concerning parts. And once you do that, you get quite a bit of confidence because you’ve really looked into the dark mirror.”