Sharon Stone reveals why her Barbie film pitch was shot down in 1990s

The ‘Basic Instinct’ star said film studio ‘didn’t think Barbie should be powerful’

Sharon Stone has revealed why her Barbie film pitch failed in the 1990s, long before the 2023 box-office sensation came out.

Stone, who starred in Casino and Basic Instinct, claimed she was “thrown out” of an undisclosed film studio after suggesting a story about a Barbie.

Many different stars had tried and failed to make a Barbie film before director Greta Gerwig’s success, including Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway. Gerwig and Margot Robbie finally managed to deliver the Mattel icon to cinemas in 2023, which lead to Barbie becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, raking in over $1.4bn

The details of Stone’s rejected bid came out in the latest episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast this Wednesday (20 March).

“All the big people are chasing her [Barbie] around... it’s about the power of being Barbie and what Barbie could do in the world because she’s so powerful,” Stone said of her film pitch.

“But they didn’t think Barbie should be powerful”.

Margot Robbie in Barbie: The highest grossing film of 2023 (© 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)

The actor, now a full-time artist after struggling to find new roles, recalled the film studio’s negative reaction.

“I went to the studio to try and make Barbie in the 1990s with a producer, a friend of mine, and I had the then-CEO of Mattel on my side. We got thrown out of the studio,” Stone told the podcast hosts.

“They were like, ‘Why would you take this American icon and try to destroy it? What is wrong with you?’ I got a lecture and an escort to the door”.

Sharon Stone claimed she was kicked out of a meeting after sharing her idea for a Barbie movie (Getty Images)

The Basic Instinct star first revealed how her idea was “laughed out of the studio” on Instagram in response to a video posted by America Ferrera, which expressed thanks for her Critic’s Choice SeeHer award.

Ferrera thanked fellow star Robbie in the video: “Margot, you saw value in Barbie, an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic.

“Thank you for gifting the world with Barbie”.

Carvey also publicly apologised in the podcast for a controversial Saturday Night Live sketch in 1992 where he asked Stone to undress.

The SNL skit involved an airplane security guard, played by Carvey, convincing Stone’s character to strip so she can pass through security gates.

Stone responded to the apology in good humour: “That was funny to me. I didn’t care. I was fine being the butt of the joke”.