Michael Douglas: First Interview Since Treatment

In his first interview since the completion of treatment for Stage IV throat cancer, former superstar resident Michael Douglas discusses his Bermudian mother Diana Douglas (”A lovely lady, super-bright — still pisses me off and does the ‘Sunday Times’ crossword in ink!”), he and wife Catherine Zeta Jones’ decision to relocate to New York (”After almost a decade in Bermuda, the pair returned to New York two years ago, partly because of ‘Wall Street 2′ and Zeta-Jones’ stage performance in ‘A Little Night Music’ and partly to find proper care for their daughter’s dyslexia”) and his long-term prognosis (”Doctors at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have told him there’s an 80 percent cure rate — something he and Zeta-Jones focus on, in contrast to the doom-laden tabloids.”)

Published today [Nov.30], the exclusive “Hollywood Reporter” chat with the actor/producer — conducted after he completed a rigorous round of chemotherapy and radiation treatments — reported Mr. Douglas was optimistic about the future and looking forward to the “third act” of his career – and his life: ”Forget everything you’ve read about Douglas. Forget the horror stories that he has ‘three months to live’, ‘might die before New Year’s Eve’ and that his chances of surviving are now ‘a grim 20 percent’, headlines that have led Hollywood to speculate about his health and future,” said the respected Hollywood trade publication.

“The man is fully alive, alert, deeply intelligent and in person nothing whatsoever like the haggard figure that graces the ‘National Enquirer’ and its kin. He has to sip frequently from a drink to ease the dryness in his mouth, but that distinctive voice is seductive as ever. True, he has lost weight; and true, he seems a bit frail, as if recuperating from a bad cold … But for someone who has just come through chemotherapy and radiation — ‘five days a week’, he notes — he’s in remarkably good shape and spirits.”

One of the last projects Mr. Douglas completed before being diagnosed with cancer this summer was the narration for Bermuda-based futurist Dr. James Martin’s new on-line documentary based on his bestselling book “The Meaning of the 21st Century.”