Michael Douglas has admitted threatening Julia Roberts in a drunken rage at a Golden Globes party in 1990, as revealed in his new memoir, One Helluva Ride.
The 82-year-old actor recounts the incident involving the Pretty Woman star, now 58, during the filming of Flatliners, which Douglas produced. Roberts starred in the horror film alongside her then-fiancé, Kiefer Sutherland.
Drunken confrontation at the party
Douglas recalls that at the Golden Globes party, he was present for Wall Street and Roberts for Mystic Pizza. She brought Sutherland to an after-party, where Douglas was with his son Cameron, then 13.
He said: "Julia had her arm around my son, kind of nuzzling him. To me, in that moment, he looked stunned... but I was pretty drunk." Douglas told her: "Take your hands off my son and take that Golden Globe and stick it where the sun don't shine."
Apology and aftermath
The incident led to a call from Douglas's Flatliners producing partner. As Douglas put it: "I'd crossed a line with the most in-demand young actress in Hollywood."
He added: "I sent Julia roses with an apology for my behaviour, and then back in the production office, I apologised to her and Kiefer in person. Luckily, they forgave me enough to get through that and finish the picture. I remained friends with Kiefer. Julia, not so much."
In the memoir, Douglas 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."
