Michael Douglas Recounts Stubble-Induced Rash on Sharon Stone During 'Basic Instinct' Filming
The actor revealed in his memoir that intimate scenes required careful attention due to the discomfort his facial hair caused co-star Sharon Stone.
Michael Douglas has shared a candid account from the set of the 1992 erotic thriller "Basic Instinct," detailing how his stubble caused discomfort for co-star Sharon Stone during intimate scenes.
In his new memoir, "One Helluva Ride," Douglas, 82, described the filming process for the movie's explicit sequences, which he and Stone, 68, committed to shooting without body doubles. These scenes took five days to complete.
Douglas recalled that Stone initially wore a patch over her private areas for modesty but later removed it, encouraging a more realistic portrayal. "Let's stop pretending. I’m nude, we all know it. Let's go,'" Douglas quoted Stone as saying.
During one particular scene that simulated oral sex, Douglas had to position his face close to Stone's. "After a couple of takes, Sharon said, 'Please go easy. Your stubble is really scratching me!'" he wrote.
Douglas observed that Stone's upper thighs were "completely red and chafed" as a result. He expressed feeling "horrible" about the physical discomfort his stubble had inflicted on his co-star.
While the on-screen chemistry between Douglas and Stone fueled speculation of a real-life romance at the time, Douglas clarified in his memoir that he was involved with another "Basic Instinct" co-star, Jeanne Tripplehorn. He explained that his relationship with Tripplehorn continued through production, but they eventually went their separate ways. Douglas was married to his first wife, Diandra Luker, at the time, and they later divorced. He eventually married Catherine Zeta-Jones, while Tripplehorn married Leland Orser.