‘Basic Instinct’ director says Sharon Stone’s recollection of that famous leg-crossing scene is ‘impossible’: ‘She knew exactly what we were doing’

• Verhoeven told Variety that Stone's recollection of the scene being filmed is "impossible."
• He said the famous leg-crossing scene in "Basic Instinct" is based on a woman he knew as a student.
• "Sharon and I decided to do a similar sequence," the director told the trade.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven is speaking out for the first time since Sharon Stone claimed in her memoir that she was misled about how the movie's famous leg-crossing scene would be filmed.

"My memory is radically different from Sharon's memory," Verhoeven told Variety at the Cannes Film Festival while promoting his new movie, "Benedetta."

In Stone's memoir, "The Beauty of Living Twice," she claimed she was reluctant to do the scene in which her Catherine Tramell character exposes her crotch while crossing her legs during an interrogation.

According to her book, Verhoeven assured her that her crotch would not be visible on-screen. But Stone said that after the movie was finished she was invited to a preview screening and saw that her crotch was indeed visible.

"Her version is impossible," Verhoeven told the trade. "She knew exactly what we were doing. I told her it was based on a story of a woman that I knew when I was a student who did the crossing of her legs without panties regularly at parties. When my friend told her we could see her vagina, she said, 'Of course, that's why I do it.' Then Sharon and I decided to do a similar sequence."

Insider contacted Stone's rep for comment but didn't get a response.

Stone's recollection of seeing the scene in the book, which was released in March, makes it sound like she and Verhoeven were not simpatico.

"That was how I saw my vagina-shot for the first time, long after I'd been told, 'We can't see anything - I just need you to remove your panties, as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on,'" Stone wrote.

She continued: "I went to the projection booth, slapped Paul across the face, left, went to my car, and called my lawyer, Marty Singer."

Looking back on his experience working with Stone, Verhoeven had nothing but positive things to say and believes what Stone has written about the scene doesn't taint the movie they did together.

"That does not stand in the way and has nothing to do with the wonderful way that she portrayed Catherine Tramell," Verhoeven said. "She is absolutely phenomenal. We still have a pleasant relationship and exchange text messages."