Michael Douglas Denies Punching Paul Verhoeven on Basic Instinct Set
In his memoir One Helluva Ride, Douglas says a heated argument with Verhoeven led to a ruptured artery and a hospital visit, not a punch.
Michael Douglas has publicly denied a decades-old rumor that he punched director Paul Verhoeven on the set of Basic Instinct. According to comingsoon.net, Douglas addressed the claim in his memoir One Helluva Ride, saying no punch was thrown.
Douglas wrote that he and Verhoeven had a heated argument during the production. In his account, the director suffered a ruptured artery and a nosebleed and was rushed to the hospital.
Verhoeven's representative told Entertainment Weekly that there was no physical altercation, describing only general tension on set. Sharon Stone, who starred in the 1992 film, told The New Yorker that Verhoeven ended up in the hospital due to what she called a ruptured sinus thing.
The differing accounts leave the exact cause of Verhoeven's medical episode unclear, but Douglas's memoir and the director's representative agree on one point: the rumor of a punch is denied.
Quick answers
Did Michael Douglas punch Paul Verhoeven on the Basic Instinct set?
No. Douglas denied the rumor in his memoir One Helluva Ride, and Verhoeven's representative told Entertainment Weekly there was no physical altercation.
What happened to Paul Verhoeven during Basic Instinct?
Douglas said Verhoeven suffered a ruptured artery and nosebleed during a heated argument and was rushed to the hospital. Sharon Stone told The New Yorker it was a ruptured sinus issue.