For their work on ’90s thriller movie Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone was paid a whopping 96% less than her co-star Michael Douglas. Basic Instinct became one of the defining ’90s movies of the decade, racking up huge numbers at the box-office and scoring two Oscars nominations along the way.
The erotic drama movie sees Douglas as a detective, investigating the death of a rock star for which Stone’s character is a prime suspect. However, to keep things interesting, the pair become involved in an intense romance.
Now, years after the movie’s release, Sharon Stone has revealed how much she and Douglas earnt for the movie, highlighting the massive disparity between their salaries. Speaking at New York Women in Film & Television’s 43rd annual Muse Awards event, (via Metro) Stone revealed that, “Michael Douglas made $14 million,” while her income was $500,000.
Stone went on to explain that the difference was partly due to the fact that “I was new and he was a very big star.” However, with Stone earning less than 4% of Douglas’ pay, it’s hard to imagine that ingrained gender-based pay gaps didn’t also play a major part.
The gender pay gap is still a persistent and major issue within Hollywood, with male actors often making substantially more than their female co-stars for comparable roles. For example, in 2020, out of the 10 highest-paid actors of 2020 only one was a woman: Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara.
For more on money in movies, check out our guide to the highest-grossing movies of all time. Or, skim across the genres with our guides to the best fantasy movies, best action movies, and best science fiction movies.
You can also keep up to date with our guide to every major new movie in 2023 and the best movies of all time.