On May 30, 2026, actress Jeanne Tripplehorn brought renewed focus to the legacy of Basic Instinct. On The Joe Rogan Experience, screenwriter Joe Eszterhas revealed an unexpected fan base for the film: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena. Eszterhas recalled that the couple watched the movie "at least fifteen times" on their anniversaries, starting from when they were courting and she caught him holding the tape.
The discussion also turned to the chaotic creative process behind the 1992 thriller. Host Joe Rogan asked if the writer felt like he was "channeling, like, another person" while drafting Basic Instinct. Joe Eszterhas downplayed any mystical inspiration, explaining that he wrote the screenplay "in the Hawaiian sun" while smoking up to two packs of cigarettes a day.
Though Joe Eszterhas admitted to heavy drug use at the time, he rejected the idea that illicit substances fueled his writing. "I never felt that the coke was inspirational," he told Joe Rogan, even if he found it to be highly effective in other departments. With the film's legacy continuing to spark bizarre political anecdotes and creative debates, the cultural grip of Basic Instinct remains as tight—and strange—as ever.