Sharon Stone recalled losing custody of her first son Roan after her role in the sexually explicit film “Basic Instinct.” The 1992 thriller, which skyrocketed her acting career, was brought up in court during the legal battle for custody of her only child at the time.
This followed Stone’s divorce from Phil Bronstein after six years of marriage. The actress recalled being heartbroken that the judge ruled in favor of Bronstein because of her role in the movie. However, the 64-year-old described the film as one of its kind.
Although erotic films and nudity are now more accepted in the industry, “Basic Instinct” was “breaking norms” at the time of release. After over a decade since the court battle and heartbreak, Roan wants to get closer to his mother.
Read on to find out more.
Sharon Stone Recalls Losing Custody Of Her Son
Stone opened up on the Table For Two podcast, about losing custody of her son Roan whom she adopted with Bronstein in 2000. After their split, the “Sliver” actress sought personal custody of Roan. However, her role in the 1992 film made it difficult to win the case. According to Page Six, the star recalled that the judge asked her then-eight-year-old son, “Do you know your mother makes sex movies?”
This upset Stone, as she didn’t think her explicit roles prevented her from being a good mother. Stone, who later starred in “Basic Instinct 2” in 2006, thought it was unnecessary to bring up her roles in the first place.
She said, “This kind of abuse by the system, that it was considered what kind of parent I was because I made that movie.” Stone noted how conflicting it was to deal with serious personal problems while getting worldwide recognition, all for starring in the films.
Recalling the legal battle, Stone believed that the judge overreacted, considering how normal erotic films are in the modern day. She said, “People are walking around with no clothes on at all on regular TV now and you saw maybe like a sixteenth of a second of possible nudity of me – and I lost custody of my child.”
The Court Ruled In Favor Of Sharon Stone’s Ex
The court denied the “Sliver” actress’s request for custody in favor of her ex-husband. In passing the ruling, the judge noted that Bronstein was the more suitable parent to provide enough care and support for their child. The judge then revealed that Bronstein’s San Francisco home at the time was a better environment to raise Roan.
Apart from the judge’s belief that Stone set a bad example with her explicit roles, the court also accused the actress of often leaving Roan to the care of “third parties.” The court raised another allegation that Stone suggested Botox injections as a solution for her son’s smelly feet at the time. However, she denied this claim, amongst others.
She Was Heartbroken Over The Custody Loss
The “Laundromat” star recalled that losing custody of her child “broke my heart.” She was hospitalized for some time after hearing the news. “I ended up in the Mayo Clinic with extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers of my heart.”
However, Stone, who has been open about her autoimmune disease and endometriosis, adopted two other kids; Quinn Kelly in 2005 and Laird Vonne in 2006. Over a decade since the legal drama, Stone now shares a tight bond with her first son, Roan. In 2019, the now 22-year-old filed to bear his mother’s last name, Stone, officially.
Filming ‘Basic Instinct’ Was Difficult For Sharon Stone
Stone revealed that making “Basic Instinct” was difficult for the cast and crew as it wasn’t very common at the time to make explicit films. Comparing the film industry than to modern times, she said, “Now people walk around showing their penises on Netflix, but, in the olden days, what we were doing was very new.”
The “Stepford Wives” star noted how controversial the film was for having nudity and sex scenes, “all these things that, in my era, were breaking norms.” Because of how rare it was, making the film took “a toll on everybody.”
Stone even recalled that the movie director, Paul Verhoeven, got really sick and landed in the hospital. She said, “His sinus thing ruptured, and he couldn’t stop having a nosebleed. There was tremendous pressure on that set.”
