Michael Douglas has revealed that he had a secret affair with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner while filming the 1984 action adventure film.
Douglas, 82, made the revelation in an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride, describing how the relationship was kept hidden from their co-stars and the rest of the production for decades. Recalling the romance, Douglas described Turner as “smart, funny and sexy” and said the pair were “immediately attracted to each other” while filming in Colombia.
“We found each other first as friends, then as co-stars, and finally as lovers,” Douglas wrote. “Following an exhausting day of shooting in the jungle, we’d go out and have a meal, or head out with the group and afterward I would sneak into her hotel room after everybody was asleep.” Douglas was married to his first wife, Diandra Luker, at the time. He claimed in the memoir that they had separated and were “both having extramarital affairs”.
He said the relationship with Turner was kept secret from co-star Danny DeVito, director Robert Zemeckis and others on set, describing it as a “fly-by-night affair”. According to Douglas, the romance ended after Diandra travelled to the set in Mexico with their son, Cameron.
“Diandra grew suspicious,” Douglas wrote. “A woman’s intuition, I suppose. At some point, she was alone with Kathleen and made it clear to her that we were still married. Her view of the terms of our separation was different from mine.” Turner did not deny Douglas’ account when asked about the revelation by People. “Good heavens what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book,” she said.
Douglas and Turner went on to co-star in several films, including the Romancing the Stone sequel The Jewel of the Nile in 1985, as well as The War of the Roses. Douglas is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, while his marriage to Diandra ended in divorce in 1995.
Turner had previously spoken about her chemistry with Douglas but had denied pursuing an affair with him. In a 2021 interview with People, she said she had been attracted to him but knew he was still married. “I was yearning, babe, but he was still married,” Turner said. “It was that wonderful s3xual tension. When you really, really know you want somebody – and I’m saying it went both ways – and you can’t have them.”
In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Turner also recalled the conversation she had with Diandra after Douglas’ then-wife travelled to the set. “I think we might have been falling in love. But then Diandra flew down and made it clear that she did not consider Michael to be available. So that ended that because I can’t get involved with another woman’s relationship,” Turner said.
Douglas’ memoir is set to provide his account of the relationship, which remained undisclosed publicly for about four decades.