In an episode of “The View,” which aired on Thursday, March 14, 2024, the conversation unexpectedly turned to Hollywood’s past, stirring up a controversy that has left fans and commentators buzzing.
The panel, including Alyssa Farah Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Joy Behar, dissected Sharon Stone’s allegations about a decades-old incident involving her Sliver co-star, Billy Baldwin.
During a segment on their show, they discussed Stone’s claims made on The Louis Theroux Podcast. The actress alleged that the late film producer Robert Evans suggested she should have sexual relations with Baldwin to enhance his acting in the 1993 film “Sliver.”
On the podcast, Stone, star of box office hits Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and Casino, remembers being pulled off the Sliver set and called to Evan’s office. She revisited the conversation with the late producer, describing how Evans paced his office wearing sunglasses, boasting about his sexual past with legendary actress Ava Gardner. Stone claims the producer believed that her and Baldwins’s onscreen chemistry would improve and save the movie if she had a sexual relationship with Baldwin, summarizing his reasoning that intimacy between them off-screen would translate into a better performance on-screen. According to Stone, improving Baldwin’s acting was crucial for the movie’s success, as his performance was seen as a weak point.
Baldwin, who starred in Backdraft and Flatliners, has retaliated against Stones’ claim by criticizing her on social media. He has also hinted at the release of a potential book exposing “disturbing, kinky, and unprofessional” stories about her.
Joy Behar found Evans’ suggestion’s premise absurd, comparing it to the illogical requirement of decapitating a horse to effectively portray a mobster in the movie The Godfather as if the profession of acting necessitated such extremes.
Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed disappointment in Stone for what she described as “needlessly shaming” Baldwin, suggesting that such public disclosures serve little purpose other than to resurrect long-buried dramas. Griffin’s perspective was echoed by Goldberg, who questioned the utility of bringing up the past incident, hinting at the unnecessary nature of Stone’s remarks.
Sara Haines remarked on Stone’s criticism of Baldwin’s acting abilities within the same interview, suggesting that Stone could have been more subtle. Griffin then mused that Baldwin’s acting might be lacking, contrasting “Sliver” unfavorably with the successful “Basic Instinct,” which starred Stone and Michael Douglas without necessitating a real-life romantic involvement for on-screen chemistry.
Whoopi Goldberg defended Baldwin by highlighting the undue criticism he has faced from women over the years.
Haines and Sunny Hostin chimed in, suggesting that Stone’s decision to bring up the incident after so many years seemed more like a desperate grab for relevance than a meaningful contribution to the discourse on Hollywood’s problematic past.
This debate is emblematic of the broader challenges faced by the entertainment industry as it reckons with its history of sexual misconduct and the power dynamics that have allowed such behavior to persist unchecked.