Kathleen Turner Confesses She & Michael Douglas Were ‘Flirting Intensely’ And Almost Started Romance Until His Wife Showed Up On Set

Dec 12, 2023 by apost team

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have reunited to work together on the Netflix series “The Kominsky Method.” The two have been friends since the 1980s, first working together on films such as “Romancing the Stone” and “The War of the Roses.” While the two have each had their separate time to shine in the spotlight, there is no disputing the fantastic chemistry they have on-screen together.

The series was created by Chuck Lorre, who has worked as a television director, producer and writer and has also worked as an actor. Some of his other notable shows include “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men.” “The Kominsky Method” premiered on Netflix in November 2018, with the second season airing the following year in October 2019. The show’s third and final season aired in 2021 and reunited two long-time friends for a bittersweet moment.

Douglas and Turner first worked together on “Romancing the Stone,” where Douglas worked as a producer and cast Turner as the perfect female lead. They have been able to work together again for a monumental moment in the history of the Netflix series, as well as in their time as friends. 

Turner joined “The Kominsky Method” to play Douglas’ ex-wife before rejoining the cast as a full-time member. The reprising of the role gave Douglas and Turner the opportunity to work together again and see the Netflix series through to the end while by each other’s side.

Douglas and Turner met for the very first time during the 1980s at a restaurant for lunch, shying away from the standard office meeting. “I was comfortable with him, I didn’t feel objectified,” Turner said. According to PEOPLE, “Romancing the Stone” earned $76 million at the box office in 1984, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year. In 1985, the movie’s sequel, “The Jewel of the Nile,” did just as well and earned $75 million.

The friends worked together again in “The War of the Roses” which was directed by and co-starred Danny DeVito. “‘War of the Roses’ with Danny directing was much more of a challenge to completely alter our relationship from buddies to dictatoriales,” Turner said.

“The Kominsky Method” first began streaming on Netflix in 2018 and received plenty of love and rave reviews. It has a 93% average rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88% average rating from fans of the show.

Douglas is the main star of the show as he plays the leading character Sandy Kominsky, an aging and self-absorbed acting coach who is trying to stay relevant in Los Angeles, California. The character had a brief moment of success as an actor himself. Douglas has also had his successful moments, much like his character, but his career has spanned longer and has been much more fruitful, having starred in classics such as “Wall Street,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Basic Instinct.”

While Turner was more of a novice when she joined Douglas onscreen for “Romancing the Stone,” having only had two movies under her belt at the time, she too went on to become a huge star in her own right with films such as “Prizzi’s Honor,” “The Accidental Tourist,” and “Peggy Sue Got Married.”

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Turner first appeared on “The Kominsky Method” during the second season but signed on full-time for the third season. Douglas and Turner have a great friendship behind the scenes, which has only added to their fantastic chemistry together in front of the camera. 

When asked how the dynamic between the two actors has worked so well over the years, Turner had this to say: “I don’t know that I can answer that. I’m not sure if Michael can either. But (series creator) Chuck Lorre has the smarts to see our rhythm and make use of it!”

Turner talked more about how she and Douglas have stayed such good friends over the past 40 years. “We have, because I live in New York,” she said. “And Michael moved back east. So (on set) it was right back to, ‘Oh, hi you!’” The friends were easily able to reconnect and pick back up as though they had never been apart.

During an interview with PEOPLE, the two friends expressed their gratitude for one another. “We’re so fortunate to have Kathleen this season,” Douglas said. “It was kind of a no-brainer, really,” Turner chimed in. “Like a little bit of ‘War of the Roses’ goes on.”

Douglas also told People that because they “know each other so well,” it was "so much fun." He added:

"It just is a comfort factor. Then you get to see it on screen and (realize), 'Oh, this is really good.'”

Turner echoed his sentiments, saying that joining the show was a “no-brainer.” 

“They say it's like slipping on an old shoe, which I assume means that it's one of your favorite things. And that's how it feels,” she added.

Douglas and Turner’s friendship has no doubt stood the test of time. However, Turner has confessed that she had envisioned their friendship going one step further back during the grueling “Romancing the Stone” shoot in Mexico.

"We had potent chemistry in part because it was real...We were a million miles from nowhere in the middle of the jungles of Mexico on this incredibly hard, rigorous film shoot, and we were flirting intensely. I really fell for him," Turner revealed. 

“Oh, I was yearning, babe, but he was still married (to first wife Diandra Luker)... although they were separated, and so I thought there was hope for me,” she told People.

She said that hope quickly dissipated when Luker arrived on set to visit Michael in a bid to save their rocky marriage. She told The Guardian:

“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 and Luker “began patching things up, so I stepped aside immediately and that was the end of it. Nothing really ever happened between us, but the attraction was quite real.”

As for Douglas, while he has never publicly reciprocated Turner’s feelings, only saying cryptically that “Life goes different ways and you can't really second-guess.”

He also once said he held "nothing against (Luker)  and, in fact, I'm very fond of my first wife. But we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier...That's the only clear regret that I have.”

Meanwhile, Douglas is sure to always have his good friend Turner by his side. He told People:

“You protect and cherish when you've got a good relationship.”

What do you think about Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner’s friendship? Are you a fan of “The Kominsky Method” or any of the pair’s other performances together? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your friends and family, too.