Sharon Stone has identified the Hollywood producer and studio executive who she says pressured her into having sex with her “Sliver” co-star William “Billy” Baldwin.
The “Basic Instinct” star said on Monday's episode of “The Louis Theroux Podcast” that the 1993 film's producer, the late Robert Evans, pressured her to sleep with Baldwin to get a “better” portrayal of the actor. She initially told her story in her 2021 memoir, “The Beauty of Living Twice,” but did not name the producer or co-star of that narrative.
The 66-year-old actor recalled that Evans called her into his office, which had very low couches from the 1970s or 1980s. She described an exchange that occurred while she was “essentially sitting on the floor when she should have been on set.”
“He's running around his office in his sunglasses explaining to me that he slept with Ava Gardner,” he said. 'And I should sleep with Billy Baldwin because if I slept with Billy Baldwin, Billy Baldwin's performance would improve.'”
He said the “Chinatown” producer believed his request would give them better “on-screen chemistry” and “save the movie.” She recalled that Evans had told her that “the real problem in the movie was me because I was so uptight and I wasn't like a real actress who could just screw it up and get things back on track and the real problem was that I was such a tight ass.”
Representatives for Baldwin did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' request for comment.
The Oscar-nominated star said he was still thinking about the list of actors he had suggested for the role and “why they expect Michael Douglas to drop out.” [in ‘Basic Instinct’] to Billy Baldwin.”
“I didn't have to fuck with Michael Douglas. Michael could come to work and know how to hit the mark, do that line, rehearse and perform. Now, all of a sudden, I'm in the 'I have to screw people' business.”
Stone explained that he thought Evans, who had an infamous cocaine problem, was “freaking out” during the meeting.
Evans, who died in 2019 at age 89, reigned as head of production at Paramount Pictures in the late '60s and early '70s. The actor-turned-producer was known for saving Paramount Pictures with the now-classic films “Rosemary's Baby.” ”, “Chinatown” and “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola. He went from being a sportswear mogul to becoming a legendary independent producer. However, he fell from grace in the 1980s when he was involved in a drug scandal and was later linked to the notorious Cotton Club murder case. (Evans was never accused of being involved in the crime.)
In November, Stone spoke about a separate encounter in the 1980s during an episode of Kelly Ripa's “Let's Talk Off Camera,” detailing the alleged sexual harassment incident without naming the person.
According to Stone, a former Sony director invited her to his office for a professional meeting, then exposed his penis and suggested that an act of quid pro quo could make her a star. Stone, who entered the entertainment industry when she was in her early 20s, was new to Los Angeles at the time.
Stone described a man “walking around the office” who began showering her with compliments before pulling out his penis and putting it in her face.
“And of course, I was very young and what I do when I'm nervous… I started laughing and crying at the same time and I couldn't stop because I got hysterical,” Stone said. He added that the executive left through a door behind his desk, and his secretary eventually appeared and escorted Stone out of the building. “But this wasn't the last of many strange experiences like this in my career,” she added.
The “Catwoman” actress said that during the rise of the #MeToo movement, again without naming the executive, she publicly asked him to apologize. “You know who you are,” she remembers saying. “If you want to come and apologize to me, I will accept you. I will accept your apology.”
On “The Louis Theroux Podcast,” Stone continued to name names but did not identify the Sony executive. However, she trashed disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, whom she repeatedly called a “disgusting pig,” and a violent anaconda who called her “Princess Sharon,” was “physically violent with me on more than one occasion,” and threw her around rooms. . because she “wouldn't do what he wanted me to do.”
Instead, she said she had “an experience of spectacular success every time” she worked with embattled filmmaker Woody Allen, who directed her on “Stardust Memories” and worked with her on “Antz” and “Fading Gigolo.”
“I worked with him off and on all my life and never had a hint of anything inappropriate. I've never seen it be inappropriate. I have never seen him demonstrate a hint of impropriety towards any woman or young girl. I have never seen him behave in a way that was not completely professional, charming, funny, pleasant and good,” he said.
Stone also spoke about her Oscar loss in 1996 and said she hadn't had another big role since her role in the 1995 film “Casino,” explaining the challenges she faced during that time.
'You have to pretend [losing] It's fantastic and it's not fantastic. And then I didn't get any good roles for the rest of my life. And guess what, I hate it… because it's easier to say 'she's cold' or 'I don't like her' or 'she's difficult' or 'she must be sick' or 'she's too old' or 'she's hard to choose' or ' “We don't know what to do with her” that “what if she comes and gives another performance and she gets nominated instead of Robert De Niro, well, that's not going well, that's not what we think. I want it to happen.”
Times staff writer Emily St. Martin contributed to this report.
