Joe Rogan Experience #2565 - Michael Douglas
In a Nutshell
Michael Douglas's memoir-writing process revealed his evolution from nepo baby to Oscar-winning producer, while his conversation with Rogan exposes systemic failures across finance, politics, and nuclear weapons. The interview emphasizes that 30-year-old issues from *Falling Down*—bureaucratic waste, economic inequality, and public frustration—remain unresolved, with Douglas advocating nuclear disarmament as humanity's greatest achievement. They also explore psychedelics' therapeutic potential, military-industrial complex corruption, and the erosion of democratic norms through tribalism and corporate influence.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Falling Down is one of Michael Douglas's favorite films. The movie resonated 30 years later because the issues it addressed still exist. The scene where Douglas's character confronts the highway worker highlighted bureaucratic waste, where crews tear up roads to spend remaining budgets to secure future funding. The film featured caricatured, unsympathetic characters, including the golf course scene where a man dies of a heart attack after being confronted.
After the Korean grocery store scene aired, the chairman of the Korean grocers association met with Douglas to express concerns about the portrayal. Douglas explained he didn't write the script but noted the scene resonated with audiences. Three weeks later, Douglas visited his local Korean grocery store and found staff wearing smile buttons.
Douglas resisted writing a memoir for a long time. After his stage four cancer diagnosis 16 years ago, his friend Shane Serno sent encouraging notes during treatment. Serno later became a literary agent and encouraged Douglas to write a book.
Douglas initially considered writing a handbook-style book, inspired by David O. Selznick's Memo, which documented production decisions across films. He planned to cover 12 of his movies, explaining their creation and development process. Douglas also considered his father Kirk Douglas, who wrote nine books including The Ragman's Son, and the combined 80 years and 120-130 films between father and son.
As Douglas worked on the project, he realized he needed to include personal stories alongside film industry content. The book became a combination of personal life and behind-the-scenes movie stories, and it became a bestseller.
Douglas acknowledged the "nepo baby" assumption that comes with being the son of a famous actor. He noted that kids can be nasty when they know about someone's family background. However, Douglas pointed out that nepotism exists in every business, including restaurants, cleaning businesses, and grocery stores. Family businesses routinely pass opportunities to children.
Douglas explained that Hollywood faces more criticism because success in the industry is rare and difficult to achieve. Most people will never attain it, so when someone gets it through family connections, others become upset. The history of second generations in Hollywood has not been great overall.
Wall Street was released in 1985. After the film, Douglas encountered half-drunk Wall Street guys in New York who told him "You're the man" regarding his portrayal of Gordon Gekko. Douglas was surprised because Gekko was the villain, but audiences loved the character's pizzazz, expensive suits, and lack of morality.
Joe Rogan shared that he knew a martial arts practitioner who became a stock broker around 1988. The man described doing cocaine and making money, and Rogan noted the transformation from fighter to suited professional was striking. Douglas explained that brokers got wired from staying up to follow Asian markets at 4:00 AM.
Douglas observed that the money and scope depicted in Wall Street seems like pittance compared to current financial markets. Rogan noted that servers are now moved as close as possible to stock exchanges to execute trades milliseconds faster.
Regarding cryptocurrency, Rogan suggested it attracts gambling addicts and provides new opportunities for fraud. He described a scenario where someone could create a celebrity cryptocurrency, attract investment, then extract funds through offshore corporations, functioning like a Ponzi scheme and potential bribery mechanism.
Douglas agreed the cryptocurrency space represents the "wild west" and is like the stock market on steroids. He noted the accessibility keeps growing, as does the wealth disparity, which he finds depressing and frustrating.
Douglas pointed out that 50% of Americans own stocks while 50% do not. Stock market gains compound for owners while non-owners live on shrinking paychecks due to inflation. AI threatens to eliminate jobs with no clear mitigation plan.
Rogan noted that people cheer when someone like Luigi shoots a United Healthcare executive because of systemic frustrations. Douglas connected this to Falling Down themes. Both observed that the same issues from 30 years ago persist.
Douglas referenced Buckminster Fuller's book Spaceship Earth, which emphasized how small and fragile the planet is. He expressed concern that after two world wars, conflict is increasing again. Douglas supports the United Nations as a forum for international cooperation despite its flaws.
Douglas proposed that President Trump negotiate with Putin to dramatically reduce or eliminate nuclear stockpiles as part of a Ukraine peace deal. He noted that Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, and eliminating nuclear arsenals would be the greatest achievement of the generation. Douglas committed to advocating for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for such an accomplishment.
Rogan agreed nuclear weapons are absurd given their capacity to destroy all life multiple times over. However, he argued no military power will unilaterally disarm while others retain nuclear weapons. Rogan mentioned conspiracy theories about the New Jersey drone sightings being related to searching for missing nuclear devices.
Douglas suggested AI could solve resource distribution problems, noting defense budgets dwarf humanitarian spending. He argued resources could address immigration drivers by restoring living conditions in struggling regions.
The discussion addresses how economic disparity between wealthy and impoverished nations could trigger future world conflicts. A proposed solution involves making a law where all natural resources extracted from Earth, including oil and minerals, would be evenly distributed among the population of cities, minus operating costs. This concept stems from the idea that Earth's resources belong to all humans collectively rather than to specific individuals or corporations who first extracted them.
The conversation examines how this system would fundamentally transform regions with diamond mines and oil-rich areas where monarchies control populations based on ancestral claims to resources. The discussion extends to concerns about corporations charging for air and water, which should be considered common property of the people living in those areas.
The conversation addresses how immense corporations involved in resource extraction generate enormous profits that enable them to purchase weapons and exert massive influence on politicians. The participants note that politicians are permitted to trade stocks with insider information, allowing them to make hundreds of millions of dollars on salaries of $170,000 per year.
The discussion highlights how these compounding factors create a system that appears unfixable, which those in power prefer since it encourages public resignation. The conversation addresses the limited choices in political races, such as the LA mayor race where voters face options described as "communism or communism," with people feeling powerless to effect change while facing increasing taxes.
The participants observe that those in control prefer when people are divided over issues like gender pronouns, nationality, and religion. The conversation notes that most people actually agree on many fundamental issues and recognize that the current system fails to serve everyone. The discussion emphasizes that politicians were historically viewed as public servants making commitments to the country, but politics has become a profit center with politicians becoming lobbyists and engaging in insider trading.
The conversation references playing Ben Franklin in a show set in France, which prompted deeper study of the Constitution as a brilliant piece of legislation that has become corrupted over time. The discussion notes that politicians were once viewed similarly to clergy as people to look up to, but this perception has changed significantly.
The participants argue that having only two distinct political parties is unhealthy for the country as it enhances tribal tendencies and creates an "us versus them" mentality. This system leads people to ignore problematic actions by their own side simply because it represents their political affiliation.
The discussion addresses concerns about immigration policy, describing the open border situation as leaving borders open while providing instructions on entry, transporting people to cities, and housing them in hotels. The conversation speculates on possible motivations including cheap labor, creating permanent voting blocs, or manipulating census counts for congressional representation in swing states.
The participants note that approximately 10 million people of unknown origin entered the country over four years, raising security concerns. The discussion also addresses the absence of primaries since 2012 and the presentation of predetermined candidates rather than allowing democratic processes.
The conversation addresses the perception that Biden was not fully functioning as president for four years due to mental decline, with unelected individuals behind the scenes running the country. The participants express opposition to COVID vaccine mandates, coercion, and restrictions on flying that were implemented during this period.
The discussion addresses the current Iran conflict, noting that every president including Trump in his first term was pressured to take military action. The conversation describes the situation as a "giant quagmire" with no easy resolution, despite claims that Iran was the greatest funder of state terrorism.
The participants note that the timing of military action may have been influenced by information about key Iranian leaders being together, with expectations of regime change that did not materialize. The discussion mentions that Trump campaigned on stopping wars, with many voters expecting reduced military engagement.
The conversation acknowledges that Iran was reportedly ramping up missile production and that a nuclear bomb in their possession would represent a terrifying scenario. The participants discuss the complex nature of international relations and the difficulty of determining accurate information about foreign capabilities.
Michael Douglas shares his birth story, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, rather than New York City due to his mother's pregnancy complications. His family background includes his mother being English from Bermuda with family history dating back 400 years, and his father being a Russian Jew whose family came from Belarus.
The discussion reveals that Douglas's grandfather left Belarus in 1902 rather than during the 1914 Russian Revolution period as previously thought. Research through the Henry Louis Gates "Finding Your Roots" show discovered that two of his grandfather's brothers were bank robbers who had been jailed, prompting the family's emigration.
The conversation notes that the Belarus town where Douglas's family originated is near Chernobyl and lies downwind from the nuclear disaster site, making it part of a "dead area" that remains uninhabitable approximately 100,000 years after the incident.
Douglas describes his upbringing between two worlds: a middle-class life on the East Coast with his mother who worked in soap operas, and visits to California where his father was becoming one of the first generation of movie stars. He attended all-boys private schools through high school.
When meeting with his college advisor, Douglas saw a brochure for the University of California Santa Barbara showing a student carrying a surfboard with girls in two-piece bathing suits. This image, notable because two-piece bathing suits did not exist on the East Coast in 1962, influenced his decision to attend UCSB.
Within one year of arriving in California in 1962-1963, Douglas transitioned from being a "preppy" student to a "hippie," crediting hallucinogenic experiences with teaching him important rhythms and visual perspectives that influenced his later work.
Douglas expresses gratitude that at age 82, he can see positive medical applications for substances he used decades earlier, particularly for treating PTSD, drug addiction, and traumatic brain injuries. He credits Trump with advancing FDA approval for psychedelic therapies, specifically mentioning ibogaine as extremely effective for soldiers and others dealing with addiction and trauma, noting its ability to rewire brain patterns even after symptoms of addiction disappear.
The conversation notes that pharmaceutical companies resist these developments due to concerns about competition with their products.
Many pharmaceutical companies that were initially concerned about losing profits are now shifting into psychedelic spaces. They are creating options and positioning themselves to profit once psychedelics become legal. This is acceptable as long as legalization occurs. The experience is not for everyone but proved transformative for Michael Douglas, changing who he is and how he thinks while redefining his sense of self.
Psychedelics help people recognize the traps created by personal definitions and ideological attachments. Many individuals become trapped in their own definitions of who they are, whether personal or ideological. The substances allow recognition of why people behave as they do and what is really happening inside their minds. This occurs unburdened by ego and without the protective mechanisms that justify poor decisions.
Psychedelics prove particularly effective for stopping addictions by forcing confrontation with underlying causes. Users may realize their gambling stems from childhood trauma, absent parents, abuse, or other hidden factors. This understanding reveals that destructive behaviors like alcohol abuse serve as attempts to mask these underlying issues.
The 1960s culture emphasized peace, love, and community. Economic concerns were less prominent as people shared resources and created communal spaces in neighborhoods. This philosophy needs perpetuation despite sounding clichéd today.
Nixon's Control Substances Act of 1970 made psychedelics illegal and prevented what could have been a world-changing movement. Without this legislation, society might have gradually figured out proper usage through study and understanding of effective doses and reliable distributors. While some people went overboard and tuned out of society entirely, many others balanced their approach.
Regulation should exist to prevent access for those under a certain age, as consciousness-distorting substances could be detrimental to developing minds. A percentage of the population may develop schizophrenia, with evidence suggesting marijuana edibles can trigger the condition in vulnerable individuals.
The government claims to protect citizens while licensing oxycodone, which Douglas finds ridiculous. Government officials often lack personal experience with these substances, making their protective stance uninformed. Rick Perry exemplifies this shift, moving from staunch anti-drug positions to becoming completely dedicated to promoting legalization after his own ibogaine experiences.
Americans for Ibogaine works to promote legalization across the country and internationally. Other nations have shown interest after hearing about the movement through podcasts and White House events, leading to speeches in multiple countries. The 1960s progress toward more open-minded, kinder approaches was undermined when the CIA recognized the movement's danger to their power structure.
The CIA allegedly sabotaged the hippie movement by empowering the Charles Manson family and making hippies appear dangerous and psychotic. Without internet access, they controlled narratives through television and newspapers. Douglas had a personal connection to the Manson family when they were searching for Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son and a rock and roll producer.
Douglas rented the house where Terry Melcher had lived before the Sharon Tate murders. The Manson family believed Melcher still resided there. During this period, Douglas was living with actress Brenda Vaccaro, who appeared in Midnight Cowboy. They noticed a suspicious van parked outside their Los Angeles home.
Vaccaro owned two Abyssinian cats that were found dismembered across the yard, with Douglas discovering piles of fur and eventually a cat's leg. After reporting this to police, the Manson murders occurred, and authorities connected the incidents. Police advised Douglas to get a gun, which he declined to do.
Douglas has seen too many instances of guns being used to hurt family members and others. He cites statistics showing 360 million people in America with 450 million guns, resulting in murder rates far higher than other developed countries. He cannot justify ownership of automatic military-style weapons.
While supporting the Second Amendment, Douglas notes that driving requires licenses and testing, yet gun ownership has loopholes. He worries about illegal gun ownership similar to concerns about illegal border crossings. Responsible gun ownership should include proper storage in safes, especially with children present.
During the George Floyd protests, chaos and riots led some to want military-style weapons for protection against mobs. Douglas understands this fear but questions the need for automatic weapons. He notes that most handgun deaths involve people who knew each other, occurring through rage, alcohol, or accidents rather than criminal defense situations.
Douglas advocates for proper licensing, registration, and tracking of automatic weapons. Mental health considerations should include psychiatric medication use, mental breakdowns, and known violent tendencies. While acknowledging that Phil Hartman's wife killed him despite gun laws, Douglas argues that countries with fewer guns have fewer such incidents, though they experience more stabbings.
Without the Control Substances Act, decades of proper psychedelic education might have created more peaceful, community-oriented people. Other countries now operate legal clinics like Beond in Mexico where people can safely have psychedelic experiences. These should be well-researched, well-funded, and properly conducted.
Modern warfare involves robots and flying drones using monofilament fishing line to avoid jamming. Ukraine has shown remarkable initiative and toughness, with citizens having legitimate patriotic reasons to fight similar to America's founding. Douglas expresses disappointment in what he sees as wishy-washy American support and questions connections to Putin.
Douglas believes the current moment presents an opportunity to dramatically reduce nuclear weapons. Ukraine's President Zelensky has offered 60-day ceasefires for elections, but Putin has rejected this. Douglas views the conflict as clearly right versus wrong, with Ukraine representing democracy against an enemy that has consistently lied.
Born in 1944 near the end of World War II, Douglas considers the current period the wildest and most insane time he's witnessed, with more global conflicts than ever before. He questions whether elites are stealing from a sinking ship, possibly knowing about impending natural disasters, asteroids, or AI disruption of civilization.
Douglas finds the concept of guard rails on AI ridiculous, comparing it to an ant having a pet human. Once AI becomes sentient and independent with access to its own code and production, it may no longer need humans. War games show AI choosing nuclear weapons 90% of the time, demonstrating it doesn't value human life.
The AI arms race resembles the Manhattan Project, with nations rushing to develop non-biological superintelligence. Douglas sees parallels to nuclear weapons development, noting that AI has already shown it can exceed its programming parameters.
Douglas discussed a script about nuclear war with two former Soviet scientists who had defected. The scientists confirmed that 90% of the script's outline of events matched exactly how a nuclear breakdown would occur. This validation came from quality assurance scientists who provided detailed technical explanations. Douglas described this as an epiphany, feeling he had found religious confirmation on the nuclear weapons issue.
Douglas expressed his lifelong hope to eliminate nuclear weapons, acknowledging the world is far from achieving this goal. He mentioned reaching out to President Trump on this issue despite it being politically difficult, noting that most people would agree world nuclear disarmament would be beneficial.
Rogan explained he entered comedy after friends from martial arts tournaments told him he was funny. He would make nervous competitors laugh before fights. A friend suggested he try an open mic night. Rogan was terrified, having only seen professional comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, but realized at open mics that everyone starts poorly and improves through practice.
Rogan compared learning comedy to learning martial arts - both require figuring things out through experience. He found the process exciting once he understood it was about gradual improvement rather than innate talent.
Rogan met Jackie Mason while both were filming shows. He referenced Mason's infamous Ed Sullivan Show incident where he appeared to give the finger but was actually doing a gesture. Being blackballed from Ed Sullivan was considered career suicide at that time. Douglas produced one of Mason's Broadway shows because he loved his comedy.
Rogan's first major comedy revelation came from seeing Richard Pryor's "Live on the Sunset Strip" in high school. He was amazed that someone could be that funny just by talking, without the structure of traditional comedy films. This made him a lifelong Pryor fan.
Rogan discussed Lenny Bruce as the originator of modern stand-up comedy. Bruce's material doesn't necessarily hold up today because it's from a different era, but his revolutionary thinking in the early 1960s was groundbreaking. Unlike traditional Catskills comedians who relied on set-up punchline formats and ethnic jokes, Bruce questioned societal norms, why certain words caused fear, and why people lie.
Douglas expressed frustration that comedy never receives proper recognition at awards shows like the Academy Awards, despite being rare and difficult to execute well. He noted comedians are rarely awarded for their performances.
Douglas worked with Chuck Lorre on a series with Alan Arkin specifically to understand how comedy works. Lorre had recently appeared on Rogan's show discussing his career and time in Scientology, avoiding political topics.
Both agreed comedy benefits from being disrespected and not receiving excessive awards or respect. Too much validation can water down comedy by making it try to please everyone. Some people hating comedy is considered healthy for maintaining its quality.
Rogan discussed starting a comedy club in Austin designed to support the art form properly. The club has two open mic nights and features "Kill Tony," the most popular live comedy show in the country, held every Monday. The show gives comedians one minute of stand-up followed by feedback from professional comedians.
Many comedians have launched careers through Kill Tony. The show's format forces participants to create new material weekly, compelling them to write regularly - something many comedians resist. The club pays comedians well and aims to create a creative home for developing the art form.
Douglas recalled a 1975 poker game in Aspen with Steve Martin, who was opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Martin would excuse himself at 11 PM to practice his material for hours while others socialized. This discipline impressed Douglas, especially considering Martin was selling out enormous venues like the LA Music Center and had hits like "King Tut" and "Happy Feet."
Rogan noted Eddie Murphy's decision to stop doing stand-up despite being one of the greatest comedians ever, with exceptional timing, stage presence, and charisma. Murphy received the Mark Twain Award and performed a Bill Cosby impression that demonstrated he could still be the biggest comic in the world if he returned.
Douglas worked with Danny DeVito on three films, including "Romancing the Stone," where DeVito filled out a character and contributed unscripted material that helped balance the romantic adventure comedy. They were roommates in New York in 1976. DeVito auditioned for the Robert Blake part in "In Cold Blood" and visited Douglas during his commune days in Santa Barbara.
Douglas lived in a commune called Mountain Drive, a community where people shared resources. He distinguished this from another commune experience where his life was threatened.
Douglas described being invited to dinner by a group led by Mel Lyman, known as the East Coast Charles Manson. The Lyman Family cult started in Boston as a musical group and expanded to own multiple houses. After dessert, they told Douglas he needed to be eliminated because he wouldn't give himself up to join their cathartic collective experience. Douglas responded by asking if they had done this before, then stated he was leaving. They allowed him and his girlfriend to leave, though she was terrified they would be killed.
Douglas emphasized that his family and children are now more important than his career. He acknowledged that ambitious careers, especially in film requiring travel, often conflict with family life. He suggested people should establish careers before having children and making marriage commitments.
Douglas expressed concern about democracy being taken for granted. He advocated strengthening communities and states from the bottom up rather than focusing on federal government. He noted that small groups of volunteers like town clerks and fire departments maintain communities.
Rogan discussed how money has corrupted politics, making it difficult for the system to represent the people's will. He questioned whether voters are informed enough about what they're voting for, noting many vote based on team loyalty or ideology rather than understanding issues.
Douglas expressed concern about AI-generated content in political campaigns, noting it's legal but disheartening. Both agreed on the need for unifying political figures like a modern JFK.
Rogan stated he's not pessimistic about human nature, believing there are more good people than bad. He noted that algorithms amplify negative content, but this is actually one of the greatest times to be alive with unprecedented access to information and communication.
Rogan referenced Dave Smith's observation that 80% of people agree on most issues, but tribalism forces people to accept positions they disagree with to oppose the other side. He mentioned voting libertarian in California as a protest vote since the state reliably votes Democratic.
Douglas recalled how politicians from different parties used to argue professionally but socialize together at events. His father was involved in politics through Jack Valenti, the motion picture lobbyist.
Rogan expressed support for social safety nets while criticizing welfare program corruption. He noted that many nonprofits spend enormous amounts on executive salaries rather than helping intended beneficiaries, creating businesses that profit from maintaining problems.
Douglas argued that corruption in the military-industrial complex exceeds nonprofit issues. Rogan cited California's $24 billion spent on homelessness with vetoed audit bills, suggesting funds go to nonprofits rather than direct help. He referenced Pacific Palisades fire relief money distributed to numerous nonprofits instead of affected homeowners.
The Pentagon has never passed an audit. If an individual never passed an audit, they would have been jailed a long time ago. The government arrests people for tax evasion and puts them in jail, requiring both payment of the owed amount and jail time as a deterrent so that everybody knows not to mess with the government. This represents the boot that everyone is living under, and the military-industrial complex represents a gigantic problem in the country.
Student debt is a giant problem that saddles kids with debt they can never get free of. It is the only debt in the country that can never be discharged through bankruptcy. Unlike other types of debt that can be excused through bankruptcy, student loans remain inescapable.
When Michael Douglas turned 21 during his sophomore year in college, his father Kirk Douglas gave him a check for $10,000 and declared he was on his own. This amount was more than 95% of people in the country could provide. For 30 years afterward, Kirk Douglas would tell his other three sons that Michael never asked him for anything in his life.
Michael Douglas revealed to his father that he had funded the rest of his college expenses by selling marijuana. He would transport 22 kilos of marijuana per suitcase, making two trips total. A kilo cost $75 on the west coast and sold for $500-$700 on the east coast. He stopped because things were becoming violent and uglier with the infiltration of ex-cons into the hippie scene.
Michael Douglas recalled driving to a Frank Zappa concert after taking hallucinogenics when he was pulled over for making an illegal left-hand turn. He successfully talked his way out of the situation with the police officer. Upon returning to the car, he discovered his passenger Danny had swallowed all the joints they had with them to avoid detection.
Kirk Douglas acquired the rights to Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1962 after starring in Spartacus. He had it adapted into a play intending to do six months on Broadway before making the movie, but the play was not successful. Michael Douglas convinced his father to let him try to produce the film, receiving a one-year deadline. The project was financed by Saul Zaentz through Fantasy Records, which was funded by Creedence Clearwater Revival's success. The band was originally called The Golliwogs before changing their name.
Kirk Douglas was originally intended to play R.P. McMurphy, the role that went to Jack Nicholson. At age 60-62, he was considered too old for the part by director Miloš Forman and Saul Zaentz. Michael Douglas had to inform his father that he would not be playing the role. He offered his father half of his producing deal as compensation for the opportunity.
The Streets of San Francisco was the number one show on ABC, averaging 24-25 million viewers per week. Michael Douglas left the hit series after 104 episodes to produce the independent film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This decision was questioned by many, but it completely changed his career trajectory. He received an Academy Award for producing the film.
After producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Michael Douglas had difficulty being cast as an actor in feature films because he was viewed as a television actor. Television and feature films operated on separate tracks, with movies being considered the prestigious medium. He eventually had success producing The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, and Jewel.
Glenn Close had three Academy Award nominations when she auditioned for Fatal Attraction. The production team initially rejected her, believing she was not sexy enough or right for the role. After her audition, they realized they were completely wrong. She played the role brilliantly, creating a complex character that was simultaneously sexy, crazy, and dangerous.
The original ending of Fatal Attraction featured Glenn Close's character in a Buddha position with Madame Butterfly playing, symbolically slitting her throat with a knife that had Michael Douglas's fingerprints on it. Test audiences rejected this ending because they wanted revenge and demanded the character be killed rather than allowed to take her own life. A new ending was shot despite Close's initial resistance.
Michael Douglas defended the practice of test screenings, comparing them to taking a Broadway show out of town to gauge audience reaction before bringing it to Broadway. He argued that while respecting the director's vision, the goal is to make films as entertaining as possible for audiences.
Michael Douglas noted that many of his films featured women in the best roles, including Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, Demi Moore in Disclosure, and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. He observed how the women's movement had changed attitudes toward women playing villain roles, noting that when producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, major actresses initially did not want to play Nurse Ratched as a villain.
During the filming of Basic Instinct in San Francisco, the LGBT community protested the portrayal of a bisexual woman as an ice pick killer. Michael Douglas defended the decision, arguing that villain parts are the best roles to play. The production required 40 SWAT officers to surround the block during filming to hold off protesters.
Michael Douglas expressed that he never anticipated the many different careers and lives he would have, stating he never saw any of it coming and still has a hard time believing the trajectory of his career.
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