Michael Douglas Reveals Secret Romancing the Stone Romance With Kathleen Turner

Michael Douglas says he and Kathleen Turner were secret lovers while shooting Romancing the Stone in 1984.

The admission comes in an excerpt from his memoir, One Helluva Ride, detailed by The Hollywood Reporter. The first excerpt was published exclusively by People.

Douglas writes that he and his then-wife Diandra Douglas were separated during the shoot, and that both were having extramarital affairs, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He says the long-running line that he and Turner felt chemistry but nothing ever happened was a lie. He kept it up for 40 years.

That denial lasted through The Jewel of the Nile, The War of the Roses and press for The Kominsky Method. Douglas says he lied to protect his wife and son. He also writes that director Robert Zemeckis and co-star Danny DeVito did not know about the relationship.

The affair ended after a set visit. Douglas writes that Diandra grew suspicious, visited the production and told Turner directly that they were still married, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After that visit, he writes, he and Turner ended things and he returned to Diandra.

Turner did not dispute the account. “Good heavens what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book,” she said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. Douglas has said he asked Turner for permission to include their story in the book and she agreed, as reported by KATU.

One Helluva Ride is published by Grand Central Publishing and is due on October 6, according to Extra. People earlier revealed the book’s cover exclusively.

What makes this stand out is the timespan. Co-stars are easy to recognise on a joint press tour, and these two kept the same answer for four decades.