Michael Douglas talks about 'And So It Goes,' career
Michael Douglas talks about 'And So It Goes,' his latest film, as well as his experience as an actor and producer.
Interviews with actors are like business transactions.
Both sides need something. The actor needs publicity for a film. The reporter needs quotes. This is rarely acknowledged explicitly, but Michael Douglas put it right up front when he was recently doing publicity for 'And So It Goes,' his latest film, which opened Friday, July 25.
Douglas, 69, said he was in a good mood in part because this was his last interview of the day. The conversation proceeded from there.
Question: So what if you're in a bad mood at the end of the day? There are a lot of things about acting that we don't think about, the off-screen things.
Answer: Well, I don't think doing interviews is behind the screen. It's part of acting. So you try to give it the best you can. The cheat factor crawls in at the end of the day, where you just kind of run out of gas.
Q: Ha. Well, the last time I spoke to you, you said you were getting ready to do 'a Liberace movie' ('Behind the Candelabra,' for which he won an Emmy). That worked out.
A: That did. It was such an amazing blessing I received. I look at that like a gift from the gods after the whole cancer bout. (Douglas was treated for tongue cancer.)
Q: You sound happy with this film. Can you tell a movie is good while you're making it?
A: I'm a producer, also. I produce a lot. So I would say yeah, you can get an inkling.
Q: How do you pick a project?
A: I first look at the script. I don't care about my part. I look at the script and I see, does it turn me on? Is it funny, scary, whatever. If it engrosses me. Then I kind of break the script down structurally into three acts and make sure I'm not getting seduced by some writing. So I think the script is solid, then I look at the director - in this case Rob Reiner, we did 'The American President' together, and that's going well. Then I look at the cast. In this case it would be Diane Keaton, who I've always wanted to work with. And so now the picture has started, we do a scene together, we do two scenes together. You can tell when there's chemistry. You can tell when it feels good. So I can't necessarily say if this is going to be a great movie, but I think I've got a pretty good feeling that there are no weak spots.
Michael Douglas in a scene from 'And So It Goes...'(Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment)
Q: Does it ever go the other way, where the chemistry isn't there?
A: Yeah, it sure does. I don't want to name names. First of all, for whatever reason you get off on a wrong foot and you don't feel like making the effort, or it's not going well. We did a lovely movie with a lovely, wonderful lady. You have no moment-to-moment, or spend much time - Annette Bening, who we did ('The American President') with Rob. Annette was busy. We showed up and would work and all that. Didn't have a lot of off-camera intercourse, at all. But we saw the movie and there was a kind of great chemistry that just happens. Other times it doesn't.
But also, since I'm a producer, at far as co-stars, I sort of take the responsibility that my female co-stars, or anyone else, for that matter, are comfortable, because I think you act better when you're comfortable, not when you're tense.
Q: Even when you're acting, are you still thinking like a producer?
A: Yeah. I can't help it, because I am, whether I have the title and am involved in that picture or not. I tend to be looking out for the whole movie. I've gotten better the last few years, because I'm really enjoying acting and really enjoying my scenes. But a lot of the movies I've done, I'm in most of the picture. So I know how the picture's going. But I always have that third eye that's watching from outside.
Q: Seems like that could make you a real asset or a real pain.
A: It's true. I like to think of myself as a major asset. I think with any director who's confident with himself, I am. I think directors who are very insecure, they're very uncomfortable with me looking over their shoulder.
Q: How about with other actors?
A: I want everybody to be great. It's not a competition. If we're all good, the picture's going to be that much better. Something Paul Newman, actually, he was the one I sort of learned that from talking to him. Paul Newman always wanted to be surrounded by great actors. He wasn't worried about himself. He was just trying to make the movie as good as it could be.
Q: Do you ever look back on your career and think, huh, not bad?
A: Yeah! I've got a pretty good batting average. If I was a baseball player, I'm not saying I've got a whole bunch of grand slam home runs, but I've got a lot of hits, you know? Singles, doubles, triples.
Q: Any home runs come to mind?
A: I like the quirky ones, the ones you really couldn't put your finger on. 'Falling Down,' 'The War of the Roses,' 'Wonder Boys.' I like those kind of dark comedies, tragic comedies. They're hard to pull off, make audiences uncomfortable, they're not sure quite which way to go. I enjoy that.
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