Excerpt from Playgirl, October 1990. After starring in (and producing) some of the most successful films of the decade, Michael Douglas has managed to escape the shadow of his legendary father—and become one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities
As Michael Douglas strides confidently across the lobby of a plush Beverly Hills hotel, it’s interesting to note the reactions of people around him. Women smile and bat their eyes as they come face to face with the tall, handsome star of such swashbuckling adventures as Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. The bolder ones even purse their perfectly made-up lips, as if remembering some of his other work—perhaps the sizzling elevator scene in Fatal Attraction. As for the men in the crowd, one can almost sense them relating to the actor as Wall Street’s charismatic power broker Gordon Gekko. They unconsciously smooth back their hair and stick out their chins defiantly, ready to take on the world.
In a nutshell, the Douglas-effect has women dying to meet him and men dying to be him. And no wonder. He has two Oscars— one for producing 1975’s Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and one for Best Actor in 1987’s Wall Street. He’s also starred in some of the biggest hits of the past decade, including Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, Fatal Attraction, The China Syndrome, Black Rain and the recent smash, The War of the Roses.
His sexual charisma and commanding presence attract women “like moths to a flame,” say those who know the actor well. And there’s no denying that Douglas’ own apparent “fatal attraction” to members of the fairer sex has periodically threatened his 13-year marriage to ex-model Diandra.
As recently as last year, the 34-year-old beauty and mother of Douglas’ 11-year-old son, Cameron, was reported to be on the verge of filing for divorce after her husband’s name had been linked with various other women, including his three-time co-star Kathleen Turner and voluptuous Italian actress Loredana Romito.
But when queried for the truth regarding his alleged indiscretions, Douglas has bluntly sidestepped the issue with such responses as, “You’re not going to tell me about your private life, so why should I tell you about mine?”
Such talk evidently takes its toll, however, for he’s also been known to complain that, “Women I’ve never laid eyes on claim they’ve slept with me. Well, I love my wife, and that stuff can cause a lot of pain.”
Perhaps that’s partly because the actor has always been preoccupied with the subjects of sex and passion. “I’m very proud that Fatal Attraction and Wall Street dealt with the two key moral issues of our time—lust and greed,” he stated recently.
“I’ve always been interested in the phenomenon of lust, and everybody has lusted for someone. Whether they acted it out or not, there’s a carnal, chemical reaction that’s fascinating, especially if someone acted on it and then lost control of their life after their animal side took over.”
Lust, according to father Kirk Douglas’ recent autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, seems to run in the family. And Lust for Life, the title of one of his father’s most famous films, would certainly seem to apply to Michael and his own life, which he describes as an “incredible adventure.”
“Growing up in a showbiz family like mine was wonderful, although I remember at first I was in awe of my father because he was such a superstar,” he recalls. “I just saw him as this tower of strength. Me and my brother, Joel, basically lived with our mother (actress Diana Dill), so we grew up mainly in New York and Connecticut, and then we’d spend the summers with dad on his movie sets. That was a real education for me.”
Michael speaks fondly of his father and how he has inherited “a certain toughness. As for my career, I think the biggest help he gave me was in really teaching me to treat it as a business. I mean, I love the movie industry, but he helped me keep a sense of balance and taught me not to take it too seriously in terms of all this attention. If you believe your own press, then you can get into some real bad trouble.”
The actor once described himself as “basically an old hippy. And it’s still true today,” he insists. “It was so great to be a teenager in the Sixties. I cannot underestimate the impact of the Sixties on me, in every sense of the word. I think just in terms of a lifestyle, of developing a sense of values—especially politically—it was a very crucial time for me. It was also a really unique time, and I think it’s appropriate that The War of the Roses ended the Eighties, because it showcased the eventual consequences of extreme yuppieness, the results of the materialism that everybody has been pursuing so hard. We look at our divorce rate skyrocketing and we wonder, ‘Why?’ Why is because nobody is taking a moment to have a relationship, everybody is trying to make money.”
Ironically, while Douglas laments the passing of the ’60s and the peace-loving values they embraced, he seems to have abandoned romantic, nice-guy leading roles in favor of playing tougher, nastier characters—and with great success.
“Yeah, it’s funny, because dad once said to me, ‘I’d like to see you play a sonofabitch for a change,’ and that made me think, perhaps it was time to stretch a bit,” he admits. “All the characters lately have had a little edge to ’em. In Fatal Attraction, I was an adulterer, in Black Rain I was a crooked cop. The truth is, I never wanted to do those glamorous leading men roles forever. I think I’m much better at playing villains, or slightly villainous guys. It’s certainly a lot more fun, and it’s definitely sexier.”
Is it ever difficult leaving a character at work when he goes home? “Well, fighting with Kathleen Turner in War of the Roses was pretty intense, but we basically had a pact,” reveals Douglas. “We’d get our makeup on, and we’d give each other a big hug in the morning and then go out and kill each other all day! Then, after the last shot, we’d give each other another big hug. But all the fighting and screaming does make you think twice about your own life and marriage, sure,” he adds thoughtfully.
It turns out that the movie version of how the Roses meet also parallels how the Douglas’ met in real life, “except it wasn’t in a rainstorm,” notes the actor. “It was at Jimmy Carter’s inaugural ball. I saw Diandra across this crowded room, in a white dress like a Botticelli Madonna. I immediately went over and introduced myself, but she hadn’t a clue who I was, and she was with a date. Luckily, I got her number, and we met up again the next day. And this time, it was raining, so we went back to my hotel, and we were never really apart again. We got married eight weeks later…”
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