Michael Douglas is setting the record straight about what happened on the set of Basic Instinct.
In his new memoir One Helluva Ride, the 82-year-old Oscar winner recalls a confrontation that happened between himself and director Paul Verhoeven on the set of the 1992 erotic thriller, which he starred in alongside Sharon Stone and Jeanne Tripplehorn.
Douglas wrote that he took issue with how much attention Verhoeven was giving Stone while they were filming the movie, and it led to an argument that turned into a screaming match one day behind the scenes.
Verhoeven said Douglas was “out of line” by suggesting the director was giving Stone preferential treatment, which led Douglas to push back.
“It was getting heated,” he wrote. “We both stood up; we were face-to-face. And then, suddenly, a torrent of blood exploded out of his nose. He brought his hands to his face and ran out of the trailer. I dashed after him—where was he going? We needed the on-set doctor! Outside, a scary amount of blood continued to stream from behind his hands.”
Douglas continued: “It was serious—an artery had burst, and he was hemorrhaging. We lost several full shooting days while he recovered and when he came back, he was under strict doctor’s orders to work a reduced schedule.”
He wrote that at the same time, the cast and crew on the set had heard the screaming match, which sparked the rumor that Douglas had punched Verhoeven and broken his nose, leading to the nosebleed.
“I might have wanted to hit him, but I swear I never touched him. I would never do such a thing to my director!” Douglas wrote. “There had already been more than enough threats of fistfights around this film.”
Douglas detailed another rumored confrontation on set in the book — but this time, he did not know what actually happened, only that he had heard Stone slapped Verhoeven across the face in the projection booth after she was unhappy with the movie’s infamous interrogation scene.
“I’ve read and heard all the rumors, including that Sharon was so offended at a screening that she stormed out and slapped Verhoeven’s face, which he denied,” Douglas wrote. “I wasn’t there when they shot that part of the scene, and I wasn’t at the screening to witness any slap, so I really don’t know.”
The Independent has contacted Stone for comment.
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