Michael Douglas has revealed a secret affair with co-star Kathleen Turner and detailed his boozy first meeting with Catherine Zeta-Jones in his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, published this week by Headline.
Now 82, Douglas is twice married and has beaten cancer. He starred in hit movies including Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Falling Down and Behind the Candelabra. On the book's sleeve he writes: "I spent a significant portion of my career playing some version of the modern, flawed, American male. You'll see from these pages that it wasn't exactly a stretch for me."
Booze-fuelled first meeting with Catherine Zeta-Jones
After spotting her on screen, Michael arranged to meet Catherine at the Deauville American Film Festival in August 1998. After initial drinks and dinner with friends went well, he left her to attend The Mask of Zorro premiere and, by his own admission, hit the bar hard.
Catherine returned to the bar much later and, as they parted, fuelled by Dutch courage, Michael told her: "I'm going to be the father of your children." She replied: "You know, I've seen a lot about you, read a lot about you, and heard a lot about you. And I guess it's all true. I think it's time I say good night."
Michael insists it wasn't a "cheap pick up line" but what he felt in his heart after time in her company, describing her as "magic". He adds: "If I had had a little less to drink that night, I would have said it a little more eloquently." He sent her a huge bouquet the next day, and she gave him another chance.
Secret affair with 'sexy' co-star
The pair had always denied any romance despite the chemistry in the 1984 film Romancing the Stone. But in the book, Michael reveals he did have an affair with Kathleen Turner, now 72. At the time, he was separated from his then-wife Diandra Douglas, with whom he shares son Cameron.
He writes: "Kathleen was smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature. I instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other. The chemistry I had with Kathleen Turner was so strong, audiences have been certain for years that we were in a relationship together while making the film. We both denied it through Romancing The Stone, Jewel of the Nile, War of the Roses, and even while doing press a few years ago for The Kominsky Method."
He adds: "The truth is that during the production of Romancing the Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship. It wasn't a fly-by night affair; it grew naturally from how closely we were working together." The affair ended when wife Diandra came to set with his son Cameron, and Kathleen backed off. The pair are now friends again.
Affairs with five women Catherine made him dump
Michael wooed Catherine Zeta-Jones for nine months before she agreed to be his girlfriend. One of her strong requests was to stop sleeping with the five other women he was seeing at the time. As Catherine put it: "You can either continue with them or end it and be with me."
Michael's response was: "Wait here, I have to make five quick calls." He called off a number of other affairs dotted around the US. He writes: "Just after my marriage, I had been seeing five other women. They knew I was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce. I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be nonmonogamous. None of them asked for commitment."
'Seven circles of hell' and cancer battle
Michael underwent seven weeks of radiation and chemo, which he compares to "the seven circles of hell," after being diagnosed with throat cancer in August 2010. He says his children with Catherine were 'traumatised' by his change in appearance.
"At first, the pain was bad but manageable, but by the third week I was in real trouble," he recalls, adding that he was "sallow and gaunt" after four weeks of treatment. His late father, actor Kirk Douglas, was "stoic" during his treatment and supported him by dressing up as a clown one day at the hospital on Halloween. "In that moment it was the best gift he could have given me," Michael said.
When he was told he was in remission in January 2011, he "broke down crying" and says it changed him as a person. He writes: "To say cancer humbled me would be an understatement. It made me more thankful for everything in my life. I started to heal. Catherine said it was like watching a wilted flower come back to life. The only lingering effect is my voice, which has become a little more gravelly."
'One lucky b*****d'
After a brief split from Catherine, the pair are back together and bond over rounds of golf. At 82, Michael says in the epilogue he has learned to put as much time into his family and friends as he does his work. He says he is not officially retired and is taking on small roles, but adds: "But it takes something special to pull me away from my wonderful life now."
Summing up, he says: "When I wake up in the morning, I look in the mirror and say: 'Michael, you are one lucky b*****d'."
