Michael Douglas Reveals the “Wildly Embarrassing” Julia Roberts Clash That Ended Their Friendship
Michael Douglas’ new memoir, ‘One Helluva Ride’, has quickly become one of the most talked-about celebrity books of the year. Released on October 6 through Grand Central Publishing, the book sees the 82-year-old actor reflect candidly on his career, his marriage, and the mistakes he made along the way.
Douglas spent 2 years writing the memoir with Shane Salerno and Michael Fleming Jr. Among its many revelations is an unusually honest account of his struggles with alcohol and cocaine in the early 1990s, a period he admits led to some regrettable moments.
One of those moments involved Julia Roberts. In the book, Douglas describes a drunken confrontation with the actress that he calls deeply embarrassing, admitting it stayed with him for years and ultimately ended their friendship.
The incident took place during production of ‘Flatliners’, the 1990 thriller directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Douglas. The film starred Roberts alongside Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt, with Roberts playing medical student Rachel Mannus.
While the film was being shot, Douglas attended a Golden Globes party, where he was recognized for ‘Wall Street’ and Roberts for ‘Mystic Pizza’. Roberts brought her then-boyfriend, Sutherland, to an after-party, while Douglas was accompanied by his son Cameron, who was about 13 at the time.
According to the memoir, the group gathered at a bar, where Douglas saw Roberts with her arm around Cameron. He felt his son looked stunned by the attention and reacted badly. Douglas recalls telling Roberts to take her hands off his son and making a crude remark about where she could put her award.
He acknowledges in the book that he was very drunk at the time and that his perception of the moment may have been clouded. The next day brought the fallout. Douglas writes that co-producer Rick Bieber called him to say they needed to talk, and he realized he had crossed a line with one of the film’s stars.
He quickly tried to make amends, sending Roberts roses with an apology. He then apologized to both Roberts and Sutherland in person at the ‘Flatliners’ production office. Douglas writes that both actors forgave him enough for the production to be completed. However, while he stayed friends with Sutherland, he admits his relationship with Roberts never recovered.
The memoir places the incident within a difficult chapter of Douglas’ life. He estimates that a typical night out during that era involved around 5 drinks and a gram of cocaine. Douglas also explains that acting made him too nervous to ever arrive on set under the influence. As a producer, however, he says he had more freedom to drink during the day without the same pressure.
The Roberts story is just one of many headline-grabbing moments in ‘One Helluva Ride’. Douglas also confirms a romance with Kathleen Turner that began on the 1984 set of ‘Romancing the Stone’ in Mexico.
He also recalls the ultimatum Catherine Zeta-Jones gave him early in their relationship, which led him to end things with 5 other women. Together, the stories paint a picture of a star willing to confront both his triumphs and his failings. ‘Flatliners’ was released by Columbia Pictures on August 10, 1990, earning $61.5 million in the United States.
More than 3 decades later, Douglas’ recollection offers a surprising behind-the-scenes footnote to the film. For readers, the story stands out as one of the memoir’s most honest admissions of regret. It also shows how the actor is now willing to openly own the mistakes of his past.
Were you surprised by Michael Douglas’ confession about his clash with Julia Roberts?
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