Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
It wasn’t until his junior year in college that Michael Douglas decided to follow in his parent’s footsteps and pursue acting. But unlike his father, Kirk Douglas, and mother, Diana Douglas, it took theAnt-ManStar a while to get the hang of it, and the initial years in the field were not pleasant.
From following bad advice regarding acting, which left him struggling in front of the camera for years, he had a rough time acting, and his fear of performing onstage didn’t help soothe the matter. As a result, the Oscar winner spent his initial acting years fighting his demons, which resulted in him developing a habit of throwing up before performing.
Also read:“This is a psychological thriller”: Michael Douglas Made Nicolas Cage’s Sci-Fi Movie an All-Time Classic That Nearly Starred Bruce Willis
Michael Douglas Developed a Habit of Throwing up Following His Stage Fright
After taking theatre in his junior year,Michael Douglashad a hard time enjoying acting following his terrible stage fright, which pushed him to get sick before getting onstage. Following this, he had to store a wastebasket offstage as he used to throw up before performing. PerContact Music, he was quoted saying,
“My junior year in college they said, ‘You have to declare a major, you can’t keep taking general education courses.’ So I said, ‘I guess I’ll take theatre. My mother’s an actress, my father [is an actor].’ I started acting [and] I was the worst actor you ever seen. I had the worst fear. I used to have a wastebasket offstage, where I could get sick before I go on,”
On top of that, the advice that pushed him to become a method actor for a while only worsened the situation for theBasic InstinctStar, and it wasn’t untilFatal Attraction,he would figure things out.
Also read:“Keep practicing what I do with my wife”: Michael Douglas Got Fatherly Advice To Save His Marriage With Catherine Zeta-Jones After Marvel Star’s Vile Accusation Against Wife
Fatal AttractionMarked the End of Michael Douglas’ Acting Struggles
Despite struggling in his initial years as an actor, the ’80s would eventually propel Michael Douglas to stardom, andFatal Attractionplayed a major part in revamping him as a performer. While makingFatal Attraction, Douglas realized that acting is all about lying, and he was no longer worried about finding the truth, which significantly improved things for him. He toldParade:
“One day, like 1985, I’d made Fatal Attraction and I realized that acting is lying, rather than trying to find the truth. That’s the freedom it gives. Then I understood the actors that I admired, Marlon Brando or Jack Nicholson, whoever. When I realized that, I broke out with a maniacal kind of laugh that didn’t stop.”
Also read:“Now she’s a big girl sitting on my knee”: Michael Douglas Showed No Mercy to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Father After On Screen Romance With the Iron Man Star
Not long afterFatal Attraction, Michael Douglas would garner an Oscar win for Best Actor forWall Street, and he was no longer struggling in front of the camera.
Fatal Attractionis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
