Michael Douglas isn’t losing sleep over revealing his past Hollywood romances, even if his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is only now getting the full story.
The 82-year-old actor opened up about his past affairs with co-stars Kathleen Turner and Jeanne Tripplehorn in his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” released Oct. 6. But Douglas insists the relationships happened long before he met Zeta-Jones, 57, and he doesn’t feel guilty about sharing the details.
During an appearance on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked Douglas whether his wife knew “everything” revealed in the book.
“I’ll be home to ask her because she just got the book two days ago. I told her this was all, as I say, B.C., before Catherine,” Douglas said in the interview, published Oct. 19.
“And you know, we have a 25-year age difference, so I’m looking at some of these films, like with Kathleen, and Catherine would have been seven years old,” he joked.
“I don’t feel bad,” Douglas added. “I think she understands.”
One of the memoir’s biggest revelations involves Douglas’ relationship with Turner, 72, while filming the 1984 adventure film “Romancing the Stone.”
The actors had denied rumors of an affair for more than 40 years, despite their undeniable on-screen chemistry.
“The truth is that during the production of ‘Romancing the Stone,’ Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship,” Douglas wrote.
At the time, Douglas was legally married to his first wife, Diandra Luker, with whom he shares son Cameron. However, he maintains that they were separated and both involved in other relationships.
Douglas said he and Turner kept their affair secret to protect Luker and Cameron. Their romance ended after Luker visited the movie set with their son.
Turner appeared unfazed by the revelation, telling People, “Good heavens, what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael, and I look forward to enjoying the book.”
Douglas also revealed that he had an affair with Tripplehorn, 63, while filming their 1992 thriller “Basic Instinct.”
“The truth is, I fell very hard for Jeanne despite our nearly 20-year age difference,” he wrote. “In fact, I was ready to officially leave my wife for Jeanne. I was crazy about her.”
Their relationship ended after filming wrapped. Douglas said he spoke with Tripplehorn before including their romance in the memoir and that she was “fine” with it.
As for Zeta-Jones, the actress admitted during an Oct. 8 appearance on “Today” that she hadn’t yet read her husband’s book.
“As much as I love my husband, when I’m tired at night, I have no intention of reading about him. At all,” she joked.
Douglas also revealed in his memoir that when he first began dating Zeta-Jones, she demanded monogamy. He reportedly called five other women that same day to end their relationships before committing to her.
The couple married in November 2000 and share two children, Dylan and Carys. They briefly separated in 2013 before reconciling the following year.
Despite his complicated romantic history, Douglas made clear that his feelings for Zeta-Jones are unlike anything he experienced before.
“I love Catherine in a way that I have never loved any other woman,” he wrote. “She’s my wife, my best friend, and my life partner. I could never lose her.”