Updated October 5, 2026, 9:48 p.m. ET
Michael Douglas says his cancer diagnosis revealed how few people in his life would register.
The 82-year-old Oscar winner opened up about the isolation he experienced during his illness in an interview with The New York Times, published Oct. 3, ahead of the release of his upcoming memoir, “One Helluva Ride.”
“There’s something about cancer that makes people not want to be around you,” Douglas said. “I was surprised by how few people registered. They don’t know what to say.”
Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer in 2010 after doctors discovered a tumor at the base of his tongue, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation, for which he later recorded a PSA. The experience forced him to confront his mortality while bringing a greater appreciation to those who remained in touch, the Times reported.
“I wondered if my luck had run out,” he wrote in his memoirs.
Michael Douglas remembers the friend who kept reaching out
Screenwriter Shane Salerno was among those who regularly contacted Douglas during his cancer experience, the actor told the outlet.
Salerno, whom Douglas met in the early 2000s, sent him playful messages teasing him about the doubts that followed his early career, including comparisons to his father, Kirk Douglas.
“I tried to remind Michael that every time someone told him he couldn’t do something, they proved them wrong,” Salerno told the outlet in an interview.
“I was really touched. It meant a lot,” Douglas said.
Michael Douglas opens up about his family and his abusive father
Douglas also reflected on the strain his career placed on his first marriage in a separate interview with the Associated Press published by the Ottumwa Courier.
“I don’t believe you can reconcile career and family. It’s simply impossible,” he said. “So I always tell my kids or anyone else who will listen: put your career aside before you think about getting married and having kids. It affected my first marriage, because I was consumed.”
In the same interview, Douglas spoke about the physical abuse suffered by his late father Kirk Douglas, saying he could not have written his memoir while his father was alive.
“He was from a generation that hit,” Douglas said, explaining that forgiving his father took time.
“My love for him grew as we both got older,” Douglas said in his New York Times interview. “Between Dad and I, we worked in the business for 80 years, 160 films. He said, ‘Michael, if I had known how successful you were going to be, I would have been nicer.'”
Michael Douglas is enjoying a slower pace as an actor
Douglas also spoke about finding relief in his acting break.
In an interview with USA TODAY in November 2025, he said taking a step back eased the pressure and anxiety associated with performing. Although he hasn’t officially retired, he shared that he’s “at the pace I’m at right now” and enjoys traveling, golf, and yoga.
“It’s the third chapter, the third act,” he told USA TODAY. “I’m exploring other things without much responsibility. I’m quite happy.”
His memoir also reveals a romance with Kathleen Turner during the filming of 1984’s “Romancing the Stone,” after the couple denied their relationship for decades.
“Kathleen was smart, funny and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature. I immediately liked her and we were immediately attracted to each other,” Douglas wrote in the book.
Speaking to USA TODAY about what he was grateful for, Douglas highlighted his loved ones: “I’m grateful for my health, for my beautiful wife and my children. I’m very grateful to have the family that I have around me.”
Contributors: Brendan Morrow, Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
Gn entert
