Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for AFI Michael Douglas revealed in a new excerpt from his memoir One Helluva Ride that he and Kathleen Turner had a secret romantic relationship while filming 1984’s Romancing the Stone, and the actress is responding to his revelation.
The Fatal Attraction actor shared an exclusive excerpt from his new memoir with People Thursday, writing that he and his then-wife, Diandra Douglas, were separated and “were both having extramarital affairs.” He wrote that “Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship,” and vowed to keep their romance private.
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“The chemistry I had with Kathleen Turner was so strong, audiences have been certain for years that we were in a relationship together while making the film. We both denied it through Romancing The Stone, Jewel of the Nile, War of the Roses, and even while doing press a few years ago for The Kominsky Method,” he said, noting four projects they’ve worked on together.
“The official story went as follows: Yes, we confessed, we had amazing chemistry. Yes, we were both, as Kathleen said, ‘terrible flirts,’ and yes, we were both tempted, but nothing ever happened between us,” Douglas wrote, per the excerpt. “That was a lie.”
Turner responded to Douglas’ admission on Friday. “Good heavens what a fuss about something 40 years ago!” the actress wrote in a statement shared with People. “I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book.”
Elsewhere in his excerpt, the two-time Oscar winner said they lied about their romance for 40 years “to protect my wife and son.” He said they kept things so under wraps that director Bob Zemeckis and their co-star Danny DeVito “were unaware.”
“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. “It wasn’t a fly-by night affair; it grew naturally from how closely we were working together, how much pressure we were under, how much we respected and cared for one another, and how attracted we were to each other. Like every other guy in the world at the time, I was knocked sideways by Kathleen….”
Douglas wrote that during a set visit, Diandra “grew suspicious,” and spoke with Turner and “made it clear to her that we were still married.”
“Her view of the terms of our separation was different from mine. This gave Kathleen pause. She didn’t want to interfere,” he wrote. “After that visit, Kathleen and I ended things, and I went back to Diandra.”
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