Hollywood veteran Michael Douglas has opened up about stepping away from an active acting career as he is more focused on spending time with his family. However, the Academy Award winner has said that he has not officially retired and remains open to returning to work if a compelling opportunity comes up.
Douglas admitted in a recent interview with People magazine that he is not as committed to his career as he once was, as he is “not very active anymore,” after almost six decades in Hollywood. The American actor and film producer said he would definitely consider acting again if and when a good script and an accomplished director come along. "I told my agents if they had a good director and a good script, sure. But I'm really not too involved in the career," he said.
The actor's priority has now shifted towards spending quality time with his family and creating memories with them, including his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, and their children. "I’m trying to find beautiful places to enjoy," he said.
In his memoir, One Helluva Ride, Douglas revealed how he has traded adventures of filmmaking with family holidays. "I haven’t slowed down but I spend my time very differently now. I’ve traded the adventures for making movies for adventures with my family. For the past few years, I’ve made sure to plan at least one big family trip every year. Catherine has declared me the world’s best travel agent and she is the momarazzi, recording every last detail for posterity," the actor added.
Reflecting on his memoir, Michael structured One Helluva Ride around 12 of his most iconic films, as a chapter to revisit each phase of his life. "I don’t think that anybody’s life is that interesting, so what I really wanted to do was focus on chapters about movies that my audience knew, but take them through the whole process from the beginning to the end," said Michael Douglas. Alongside his professional breakthroughs, he delved into family struggles, hardships and personal relationships that molded him.
Michael Douglas began his career in the 1960's in television series The Streets of San Francisco before establishing himself in Hollywood. Known for his work in Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Romancing the Stone and Traffic, the actor earned Academy awards for both acting and production. Douglas has gradually stepped back from acting, choosing to pursue personal pursuits and open to selective projects.