Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has offered lighthearted responses to the release of husband Michael Douglas’ new memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” confessing she has not yet dug into the headline-making book.
Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show while promoting her AMC+ series “Kill Jackie,” Zeta-Jones explained that an intense production schedule kept her from opening the text. She noted that after wrapping seven months of filming in Dublin for the third season of “Wednesday,” traveling to London, and visiting Bilbao, Spain, she was simply too exhausted to read about her spouse.
“And as much as I love my husband, when I’m tired at night, I have no intention of reading about him… at all,” Zeta-Jones told host Willie Geist. She still endorsed the memoir to the public, saying, “The book is called One Helluva Ride, and I think everyone should hold onto their cowboy hats, because I think it is.”
Douglas reacts to his wife’s comments
Douglas, 82, addressed Zeta-Jones’ remarks during an appearance Thursday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” When host Jimmy Kimmel asked whether it was for the best that his wife was not reading his candid recollections, Douglas agreed with a laugh.
Douglas pointed to their 25-year age gap, noting that he had lived an entire lifetime before the pair ever crossed paths. He referenced a revealed affair with co-star Kathleen Turner during the filming of the 1984 movie “Romancing the Stone,” pointing out Zeta-Jones was a child at the time and would not meet him until decades later. “I think she’s had to accept the fact that having this kind of age difference, you may have had a life before you ever seen her for the first time,” Douglas said, according to Yahoo.
In a separate interview with E! News, Zeta-Jones, 57, clarified that she had received her copy just as the book was published and had no anxiety over any revelations, OK! Magazine reported. When asked if the advance stories that made headlines surprised her, she answered simply, “No.”
Tales of courting and past romances
Douglas’ memoir details his lengthy career, his childhood with father Kirk Douglas, struggles with substance abuse, and several past relationships. The book reveals affairs during his first marriage to Diandra Luker, including with Turner, writer Diane Thomas, and actress Jeanne Tripplehorn, The Independent reported. Turner told People through a statement that she was unbothered by the revelation, calling the decades-old romance “something 40 years ago” and adding that she looked forward to reading the book.
Douglas also recounts the early days of wooing Zeta-Jones after they met in France in 1998, according to Radar Online. At the time, she lived in Pacific Palisades, California, neighboring NBA star Kobe Bryant. Douglas wrote that Bryant frequently stopped by her home under the pretext of looking for a lost dog. When Zeta-Jones later insisted on exclusivity before committing to a relationship, Douglas wrote that he immediately phoned five other women to terminate their romances.
Douglas and Zeta-Jones married in November 2000 and share two adult children, Dylan, 26, and Carys, 23. Reflecting on their enduring bond, Zeta-Jones told E! News that mutual kindness and a shared dry sense of humor have anchored their quarter-century marriage through demanding careers and hectic travel schedules.
