Michael Douglas has admitted to an affair with Kathleen Turner while the pair were filming the 1984 action-comedy Romancing The Stone, saying they began a relationship despite his marriage to Diandra Luker.
The actor makes the disclosure in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride. Douglas said his marriage was “in a bad place” at the time and described himself as “technically married, but separated” when he and Turner became involved.
Recalling their first meeting, Douglas wrote: “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.”
He also revealed that he had been having an affair with Romancing The Stone screenwriter Diane Thomas before beginning his relationship with Turner.
“Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship,” Douglas said.
The relationship ended after Luker confronted Turner and reminded her that she and Douglas were still married and together. Douglas said the couple had “our own son to think about” and that he subsequently tried to save his marriage for the sake of their son, Cameron.
Despite ending their romance, Douglas and Turner continued to work together. Romancing The Stone became a major box-office success, taking 115 million US dollars, and they reunited for its 1985 sequel, The Jewel of the Nile.
The pair later appeared together in The War of the Roses in 1989, another significant box-office hit. Their professional relationship continued decades later when Turner joined Douglas in Netflix’s The Kominsky Method, appearing in its second season in 2019 and its third and final season in 2021.
While promoting the series, the two actors denied rumours of a past affair, leaving the relationship undisclosed for four decades.
Luker eventually filed for divorce from Douglas in 1995 after 18 years of marriage. Reports cited in the memoir excerpt said she received 45 million US dollars and several homes.
Douglas met Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1999 and they married two years later. They had a son, Dylan, that year and a daughter, Carys Zeta, in 2003.
One Helluva Ride is due to be released on 6 October.
