Sharon Stone was called ‘Karen’ and paid only 3.6% of Michael Douglas’ salary while filming Basic Instinct

Sharon Stone revealed in the latest episode of her confessional tour that she was shortchanged in her breakthrough film, “Basic Instinct.” Stone revealed at the New York Women In Film & Television Muse Awards lunch that she only made $500,000 for the 1992 sex thriller, while co-star Michael Douglas made $14 million.

That is, Sharon received only 3.6% of Douglas’ salary, but as she puts it: “I was new at this point. I was new, and he was a huge celebrity “She explained to the audience, which was mostly made up of female film and television executives.

However, the inequality did not stop there. Stone also described how she was treated disrespectfully by a line producer on the Paul Verhoeven-directed film, who referred to her as “Karen” throughout filming.

The humiliation did not end when the film ended. Even after the Oscars, at the Governor’s Ball, the producer still addressed her as “Karen.” Stone admitted that she carried the humiliation for years despite the fact that her name was not on the poster.

Stone also praises Sandra Lee

Stone’s Muse Awards lunch appearance also provided her with an opportunity to praise fellow honoree Sandra Lee, to whom she had previously offered advice. Stone had advised Lee on the plane before she became a household name to “make sure your hair is never perfect.”

Sharon responded in her acceptance speech to Lee’s joke that her hair hasn’t been perfect since that conversation: “Yes, Sandra and I shared a plane… and I told her to give more than she took, and she did. I’m overjoyed.”

Stone couldn’t help but tell a story about a recent Vanity Fair Oscar party at which her friend Sarah Paulson asked her, “Why is everybody so mad at you?” Stone, ever the provocateur, responded to the audience: “I believe you all understand why everyone is so upset with me. Thank you very much.” She then claimed to be one of the few women who said “no” so that the others could say “yes.”

Stone’s recent public appearances also included the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s Unforgettable Evening fundraiser, where she expressed her dissatisfaction with technology and stated her preference for writing a check rather than texting money.

At the event, Stone also revealed that she had lost half her money in the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.