When Michael Douglas Was Rumoured To Have Broken Basic Instinct Director’s Nose Because Of Sharon Stone: “I Was With A Very Talented But Wacko Dutch Man…”
Michael Douglas was once believed to have broken Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven’s nose - Here’s what happened
When Everyone On Set Of Basic Instinct Thought That Michael Douglas Had Broken The Director’s Nose Because Of Sharon Stone (Picture Credit: Wikimedia & IMDB)
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Basic Instincts created history in more than one way. It was one of the first movies back in the day to show such explicit scenes on-screen. Sharon Stone became one of the boldest actresses in Hollywood and created a massive fan base for her daring character of the femme fatale. Michael Douglas became the king of the erotic thriller genre, and director Paul Verhoeven became known for his tendency to make movies that many would not dare consider.
While the film was a breakthrough in the ‘90s, it had several controversial moments on its set as well. One such story has to do with the director’s bleeding nose, which was once rumoured to be the result of Michael’s doing. Sharon was, obviously, stuck in the middle of the fiasco. But what really happened? Scroll on to learn more.
As per IMDb, Michael Douglas and director Paul Verhoeven had quite a few conflicts during the making of Basic Instinct. The actor wanted an A-list actress on board to play Catherine (say, Demi Moore or Michelle Pfeiffer), but none of them agreed. At last, after plenty of auditions and on Paul’s personal instinct, Sharon Stone was roped in. But, the diva was quite nervous about her role and was apparently on the verge of getting replaced. However, the director was convinced that she was exactly what the movie needed. So, he coached her personally.
This allegedly did not sit right with Michael Douglas. As per IMDb, Paul Verhoeven did not think that the established actor required any assistance and hence focused on Sharon Stone more. This caused the actor and the director to have a heated argument in the trailer. The stress caused a vein in his nose to burst, and he began to bleed profusely. When they exited the trailer, crew members thought that Douglas had broken his nose because of Stone!
As per Entertainment Weekly, Michael talked about the instance leading to the nosebleed and said, “Contrary to the amount of direction he was giving the ladies, I just didn’t really feel like I knew what was going on. He didn’t talk to me a whole lot, so there was a kind of buildup.” He added that the nose haemorrhage came at the right time. “Everybody was exhausted — it was a difficult, very tense shoot. And I mean that in the best sense in terms of Paul — because he lives and breathes the picture. And he was obsessed. I had no equal costar to share the (risks). And I was with a very talented but wacko Dutch man who we ultimately didn’t know!”
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