Sharon Stone explains why her Barbie film pitch was rejected in the ’90s

Sharon Stone has revealed why her pitch for a Barbie film failed in the ’90s, long before the release of the 2023 hit starring Margot Robbie.

• READ MORE: ‘Barbie’ review: Greta Gerwig’s grown-up toy story is fantastic fun

In the latest episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast this Wednesday (20 March), the Basic Instinct star said she was “thrown out” by an undisclosed studio for suggesting a story about the iconic doll.

Detailing her pitch for the film, Stone said: “All the big people are chasing her [Barbie] around… it’s about the power of being Barbie and what Barbie could do in the world because she’s so powerful.”

The Total Recall star, who switched her focus from acting to art during the COVID lockdown, recalled the studio’s negative reaction to the pitch.

“I went to the studio to try and make Barbie in the 1990s with a producer, a friend of mine, and I had the then-CEO of Mattel on my side. We got thrown out of the studio,” she explained.

“They were like, ‘Why would you take this American icon and try to destroy it? What is wrong with you?’ I got a lecture and an escort to the door.”

Various stars had attempted to make a Barbie film before director Greta Gerwig’s huge box office hit, including Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway.

Gerwig and Robbie, however, finally managed to bring the Mattel toy to the big screen last year, with Barbie becoming the highest-grossing film of the year after raking in over $1.4billion.

In other news, Stone recently criticised Johnny Depp’s lucrative art sales that saw the actor earn $3.6million in just a few hours.

His collection, titled Friends And Heroes, featured portraits of individuals who inspired the actor: Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Al Pacino and Elizabeth Taylor.

“Johnny Depp is printing pictures of people, putting some paint over it and signing it, and making a fortune,” she told The Guardian, adding: “I had galleries approach me and say, ‘Could you please make prints of your face?’ I think it’s my duty not to do that. It’s my job to open a window for other women and hold it open further.”

Elsewhere, Stone recently revealed the producer who reportedly told her to sleep with her co-star in order to improve their performance.