Michael Douglas has confirmed a long-rumored affair with Kathleen Turner during the filming of Romancing the Stone. The revelation comes from his upcoming memoir, “One Helluva Ride.” The 82-year-old actor and Turner had previously denied the affair for over four decades.
In an excerpt obtained by People, Douglas shared, “Kathleen was smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature.” He mentioned that both he and Turner were immediately attracted to each other.
At the time, Douglas was married to Diandra Luker. He admitted that the relationship was struggling and both he and Luker were involved in extramarital affairs. Douglas wrote that he was “still technically married, but separated” when he left to film the 1984 movie.
Audiences speculated about their relationship, but the duo denied it even during subsequent film projects like the sequel and The Kominsky Method. Despite their declared chemistry, they insisted they never acted on their feelings.
Douglas revealed in his memoir, “During the production of Romancing the Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship. It wasn’t a fleeting affair; it developed naturally.” They worked closely under pressure and respected each other deeply.
To protect their families, the affair remained a secret. No one, including director Bob Zemeckis and co-star Danny DeVito, knew. Douglas stated they would meet privately after filming or he would visit her hotel room at night.
Their off-screen romance mirrored their onscreen characters, as Turner and Douglas shared chemistry while playing characters that fell in love.
The relationship ended when Luker, along with their son Cameron, visited the set, reaffirming to Turner that Douglas was still married. Decades later, Turner responded to the renewed attention by saying, “Good heavens what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book.”
Romancing the Stone featured Turner as Joan, a romance novelist who encounters Jack Colton, played by Douglas, while trying to rescue her sister. The pair embarks on an adventure in Columbia.
Douglas and Luker eventually divorced in 2000 after separating in 1995. He later married actress Catherine Zeta-Jones in November 2000, and the couple has two children, Dylan and Carys.
Lori A. Bashian is an entertainment news writer at Fox News Digital.