Michael Douglas is getting more candid than ever in his upcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride.
While the book itself doesn't drop until October 6, several bombshells about the actor, now 82, have already dropped in the days leading up to it.
© Getty ImagesIn a new interview with The New York Times, the Oscar-winning actor and producer opened up about penning some of the most honest parts of his autobiography, addressing his own flaws and struggles, and noting the impact it has all had on his loved ones.
In his interview, he particularly notes having the hardest time writing about his feelings toward his oldest son, Cameron Douglas, welcomed in 1978 with then-wife Diandra Luker.
The actor, now 47, struggled with addiction issues in his early life, and in 2007, he was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, and was subsequently arrested in 2009. He spent seven years behind bars, ultimately released in 2016.
"I wasn't around a lot, so I have my own guilt with Cameron," Michael candidly shared, referring to not being as present as he would've liked for his son's early years, when he and Diandra often spent life on opposite coasts, and eventually divorced in 2000.
As for the rest of his family, Michael also spoke openly in the memoir about his relationships with his parents, actors Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill, his ex-wife, his current wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, and their two kids, Dylan and Carys. Michael's kids, Catherine, and many more of his friends feature in the memoir as well.
© Getty ImagesThe Wall Street actor, in fact, dedicated the book to his family. "I started realizing how important family really is," he noted of the period during which he worked on the book with Shane Salerno and Michael Fleming Jr. "This is what holds us together."
He also touched on the complicated relationship he shared with his father Kirk, one that softened as they grew older. "My love for him grew as we both aged. Between Dad and I, we had 80 years in the business, 160 movies. He'd say, 'Michael, if I knew how successful you were going to be I would have been nicer.'"
© Getty ImagesThe Romancing the Stone actor also addressed the "rage" he'd supposedly inherited from his late father. "I used to count on anger as a false sense of energy. Anger gives you energy," he shared, but as it turns out, it's his wife Catherine who helped ease those feelings.
"I have really found much more joy and peace with Catherine all these years we've been together and less involved in the business," Michael gushed.
© Getty ImagesIn the official logline for the book, it describes how as his fame grew independent of his family's, "so did his personal struggles," promising that Michael "recounts the full, unfiltered story of his turbulent first marriage; infidelity and affairs with some of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood; his own serious struggle with alcohol, drugs and rehab; the heartbreaking fight to save his son from an addiction that sent him to prison; and his against-all-odds battle with stage IV cancer."
