Michael Douglas has revealed that he had a relationship with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner while filming the 1984 adventure comedy. The Oscar-winning actor writes about the romance in his forthcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride, describing how the pair's friendship developed into a relationship during production of the hit film.
Friends first, lovers later
In an extract published by People magazine, Douglas recalled being drawn to Turner from the outset, describing her as "smart, funny and sexy."
"We found each other first as friends, then as co-stars, and finally as lovers," he wrote.
Douglas said the relationship remained hidden from cast and crew while they were filming, adding that they would spend time together away from the set after long days of shooting.
Marriage and separation
The actor was married to his first wife, Diandra Luker, at the time. In the memoir, Douglas says they were separated during the period in question, although he claims they had different views of the status of their relationship.
According to Douglas, the romance came to an end when Luker visited the set with their son, Cameron Douglas. He wrote that Turner was made aware that his wife did not consider him to be available, bringing the relationship to a close.
Turner's response
Turner has responded publicly to the revelations but did not directly address Douglas's account. In a statement to People, she said: "Good heavens what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book."
The pair went on to appear together in several projects, including Romancing the Stone sequel The Jewel of the Nile, dark comedy The War of the Roses and the Netflix series The Kominsky Method.
Turner has previously spoken about the pair's chemistry on screen. In a 2021 interview with People, she said there was a strong attraction between them but suggested circumstances prevented any relationship from developing further.
Douglas, who is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, has not publicly commented beyond the extracts published from his memoir, which is due to be released later this year.
