During film shoots, it is not uncommon for the protagonists to fall in love and generate historical scandals, as happened with Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini in Stromboli (1950) and with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra (1963). These love affairs came to light immediately thanks to the work of paparazzi, but then there are others that are rumored and denied for decades until the truth comes out.
In One Helluva Ride, the new memoirs of Michael Douglas (82) set to be released on October 6, the actor confirms in no uncertain terms that he did have a romance with Kathleen Turner, the other lead actress in the action comedy Romancing the Stone (1984). It has been over four decades of gossip, evasions, and denials that have finally been confirmed.
In excerpts published exclusively by People magazine, Kirk Douglas' son reveals: "Kathleen was intelligent, funny, and sexy, with a deep and sensual voice that became her trademark. I liked her instantly and we were immediately attracted to each other," and he adds: "Things at home were not going well. Diandra and I were having extramarital affairs, including my recent romance with Diane Thomas (screenwriter of Romancing the Stone)."
At that time, Michael had been married to Diandra Luker for six years and had a son, Cameron, born in 1978, while Kathleen was single. It wasn't until almost the end of the production that the actress would fall in love with real estate developer Jay Weiss, right after the actors' affair ended. They married in 1984 and had their daughter in 1987.
The chemistry on screen between Douglas and Turner was so powerful that over the years they starred in two more films,The Jewel of the Nile (1985) and The War of the Roses (1989), and coincided in the series The Kominsky Method (2018-2021). In each promotion, they always denied having been lovers.
In an interview with People from several years ago, the former 80s sex symbol continued to perpetuate the lie and denial: "Oh, I longed for it, darling, but he was still married... It was that wonderful sexual tension, you know? When you truly know you want someone, and I say it was mutual, and you can't have them...".
The double Oscar winner provides more details in his biography about the romance that has captivated several generations of movie buffs. "Kathleen and I fell madly in love and started a relationship. It wasn't a fleeting romance; it arose naturally due to the close working relationship, the pressure we were under, the respect and affection we had for each other, and the strong attraction we felt for each other. Like any other man at that time, Kathleen completely captivated me...," reports People.
"After a tiring day of filming in the jungle, we would go out to eat or join the group, and then I would sneak into her hotel room when everyone was asleep. There were no cameras in the elevators, no assistants taking photos with their phones," confesses the actor who, since 2000, has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones (57), with whom he has two children, Dylan Michael (26) and Carys Zeta (23).
The most striking thing about this whole story is that neither Robert Zemeckis, the director, nor Danny DeVito, the other lead, realized what was happening.
As is customary in shoots carried out thousands of miles away from home, Diandra visited Michael with Cameron, which was a setback for the love story with Kathleen.
In one of the book's passages, the star of Basic Instinct (1992) confesses that he was "happy to have my son there, but his arrival created another problem. While Bob and Danny had no idea about my affair with Kathleen, Diandra began to suspect. Female intuition, I suppose. At one point, she was alone with Kathleen and made it clear that we were still married. Her view of the terms of our separation was different from mine. This made Kathleen think twice. She didn't want to interfere."
Amidst all the commotion caused by Douglas' revelation, Kathleen Turner wasted no time in responding to the confirmation of the romance: "For heaven's sake, what a fuss over something that happened 40 years ago!" she explains in a statement sent to People. "I love Michael and look forward to enjoying the book."
In an interview with The Sunday Times to promote the biography, the veteran star debunked the myth that he was a sex addict. "I don't know if I slept with so many women, I don't see it that way. No, not me. I was a healthy product of the 60s." In fact, another major rumor is that he entered Sierra Tucson rehabilitation clinic in the early 90s in the United States due to his compulsive sexual behaviors, however, he later confirmed that it was due to his addiction to drugs and alcohol.