Michael Douglas turned 80 as a Marvel star, but before that he was the son of a legend, a big-nosed producer and the king of romance thrillers
In the mid-1960s, Kirk Douglas bought the rights “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”with the idea of reprising the role of Randle McMurphy that he had played on Broadway. A decade later, the film was released in theaters, produced by him Michael Douglas and starring Jack Nicholson.
He had sold the rights to his son, but had not foreseen giving the role to Nicholson, believing that his father was too old to play the lead role. Kirk never forgave him.
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The “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” won five Oscars, including the Oscar for Best Picture, which the very young Michael Douglas received by Audrey Hepburn. It was the first time the industry realized that Kirk’s son’s presence in Hollywood would be more than a footnote.
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Although no one was talking about “nepo babies” at the time, that night Douglas began to shake off a very heavy label. His father wasn’t just a screen icon, he was a Hollywood legend.
After five decades of work we can’t say that Michael Douglas has surpassed his father, but in his 80s he is an undisputed star, an actor who during the 1990s became the most unexpected synonym for screen sexuality. Michael Douglas preferred to play roles that Kirk would never play: hippies, pacifists and sensitive men, because he did not want to imitate his father.
His first major role came in “The Streets of San Francisco”with the legendary Karl Malden by his side. Malden became his mentor and gave him valuable advice: “When you do stupid things, do them fast.”
His place was in the movies, although as he was unsure whether he should act or produce, he chose to combine his efforts. His first big hit, “The China Syndrome” (1979)a thriller about a nuclear plant accident that its shadowy managers try to cover up, showed the problems of its time. The nuclear lobby was not happy with the result and started a campaign “burying” the film. Twelve days after the premiere, an accident at a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania probably vindicated him…
This film helped start a key trend in his films: surrounding himself with strong women. “My mother was an actress. I spent a lot of time with her backstage at the theater. So I was never threatened by terrible women.”he told the Financial Times. “I’m proud that for almost every woman I’ve worked with, it’s been one of her best roles. Kathleen Turner, Geneviève Bujold – very old in Coma -, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, Annette Bening, Sharon Stone. I try to make the environment as comfortable as possible, to give them respect and protection.”
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“My father’s generation chose roles between heroes and villains because they came from the Second World War. My generation is that of Vietnam and we are actually talking about “grey zones”. My characters are put in crazy, almost impossible situations, and we have to see how they react to them and how they move forward with the decisions they make.”the actor said last year at Cannes, where he was awarded the honorary Palme d’Or.
Douglas has much more to show than the romantic thrillers that marked his career. He emerged unscathed from David Fincher’s enigmatic The Game (1997), showed his most vulnerable side in the exquisite Wonder Boys (2000) and successfully replaced Harrison Ford in Traffic (2000) when rumors claimed that Ford could not adapt to the frantic pace of filming imposed by Steven Soderbergh.
Douglas gave one of his best performances in one of his personal favorite films, Falling Down (1993), the story of an office worker who suffers a nervous breakdown. It’s a film, which he claims he “built” through his hairstyle. His fans agree: there’s a list of his movies ranked by how good his hair is.
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Accustomed to challenges, in the final stretch of his career, Douglas entered the Marvel universe as Hank Pym, a role he chose to keep in touch with younger viewers. “It’s the closest thing to immortality an actor can get”he said.
Douglas did not avoid returning to television. He won a Golden Globe for his role in “Behind the Candelabra” (2013) and won another for his role in the sarcastic “The Kominsky Method” (2018), in which he reunited with Turner. A few months ago, he played Benjamin Franklin on Apple TV, and at 80, he has no intention of retiring.
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A few days ago he celebrated his 80th birthday in Valldemossa, in his beloved Mallorca. At his side, Catherine Zeta-Jonesthe woman he fell in love with the first time he saw her on the movie screen. “I will be the father of your children”he told her on their first date. Michael Douglas fulfilled his dreams, but also many of the fantasies of an entire generation.
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Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
