Sharon Stone claims Basic Instinct director told her ‘hand me your underpants’ before famous leg-crossing scene

Actor said her dignity was ‘hard won’ after 1992 film

Sharon Stone has claimed the director of Basic Instinct, Paul Verhoeven, told her to hand him her underpants before filming the famous leg-crossing scene in the 1992 film.

The movie, known for its graphic sex scenes, follows Michael Douglas as a detective who is seduced by the prime suspect of his murder investigation, played by Stone. One of the most iconic scenes in the film sees Stone uncrossing and crossing her legs in a room full of men during an interrogation.

Stone recreated the scene on stage when accepting her Woman of the Year accolade at the Berlin GQ Men of the Year Awards on Thursday evening (7 November).

The actor said: "Some years ago I was sitting on a sound stage, and my director said, 'Can you hand me your underpants because we're seeing them in the scene and you shouldn't have underpants on, but we won't see anything.'

"I said, 'Sure.' I didn't know this moment would change my life."

The Independent has contacted Verhoeven’s representatives for comment.

Asking the audience to do the leg-cross with her, she said: "Do you feel empowered? Maybe not.”

Stone, who recently said she doubted whether Basic Instinct would be made today, went on to say people "have every right to be powerful in whatever form of sexuality we choose to have and no one is allowed to take that away from you”.

She said her dignity was “hard won” after she only “did that”, referring to the leg-crossing.

Stone thanked GQ for choosing her as woman of the year “because there was a time when all I was, was a joke”.