Michael Douglas is rejecting the idea that he had to win back Catherine Zeta-Jones after their 2013 separation.
Douglas, 82, bristled at the framing during a Sunday Times interview tied to his forthcoming memoir, insisting the reconciliation was a two-way street rather than a victory on his part. The two-time Oscar winner has been making the promotional rounds for “One Helluva Ride,” which hits shelves Tuesday, and the personal revelations are piling up.
“What, I won her back? It was mutual,” he told the publication. “You know, we had our problems but I love her dearly and, 25 years, you know.”
The Welsh actor, 25 years Douglas’s junior, had confirmed in August 2013 that the pair were “taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage.” The announcement landed just months after Douglas made controversial remarks linking his tongue cancer to oral sex, comments his publicist later walked back. The couple, who wed in 2000 after roughly a year together, share son Dylan, born that same year, and daughter Carys, who arrived three years later.
Douglas continued to the Sunday Times: “I mean, I don’t know about your marital status, but marriage is a lot of work, you know. And so, you know, we’re good. We’re in good shape. It’s all I can say.”
The memoir itself adds another layer to the marriage narrative. Douglas writes that during the separation, “I never gave up hope that we would reconcile.” Yet he has acknowledged that Zeta-Jones has not actually read the book.
The promotional cycle has also resurfaced older romantic entanglements. Douglas disclosed in the memoir that he fell for Kathleen Turner while filming “Romancing the Stone” in Mexico, describing her as “smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature.” He noted that he “instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other.” At the time, he remained technically married to first wife Diandra Luker, though he characterized that union as already fractured.
Douglas married Luker in 1977, and he has been candid that both parties were pursuing extramarital affairs before his Mexico shoot. He ended the Turner involvement after Luker grew suspicious, returning to the marriage for the sake of their son, Cameron. The Luker-Douglas divorce was finalized in 2000, the same year he married Zeta-Jones.
The memoir also reportedly catalogs numerous affairs during his first marriage. Douglas has described that period openly, stating the marriage to Luker was “in a bad place” and that he “left for Mexico still technically married, but separated.”
Douglas remains best known for screen work including “Fatal Attraction,” “Romancing the Stone,” and the Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra.” “One Helluva Ride” arrives in bookstores Tuesday.