Michael Douglas names the exact moment he stepped out of his father’s shadow: “OK, you’re there now”
Multi-generational dynasties are hardly an irregularity in Hollywood, but the toughest part of entering the family business is trying to outrun the shadows of those who came before, something Michael Douglas doesn’t think he accomplished until decades into his own career.
As the ones who set the benchmarks, the first members of any family to make a mark on the industry tend to be the ones remembered best. Then again, there are plenty of exceptions to the rule, and Douglas became not only a star in his own right but a hugely successful producer.
Jeff Bridges did very well for himself after following in his father Lloyd’s footsteps, while Sofia Coppola and Nicolas Cage are just two members of their sprawling clan to shine brightly. Anjelica Huston, Liza Minnelli, Jane Fonda, Carrie Fisher, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Drew Barrymore are just some of the others to follow suit, but there’s always going to be pressure.
For Douglas, he had to contend with his old man being a ‘Golden Age’ icon, a trailblazer for actors setting up their own production companies, a creative collaborator of Stanley Kubrick, and an instrumental figure in ending the communist blacklist. It was a tall order, but even though Michael had made his acting debut in 1966, it was more than 20 years before he felt like his own man.
He was already an Academy Award winner, too, producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in a decision that caused friction between father and son. However, a combination of another Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ and a box office sensation that recouped its budget more than 20 times over in ticket sales was what convinced him.
Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction were released less than two months apart in 1987, which came at a point where Douglas “couldn’t tell you that I was really enjoying the process or that people were benefitting from what I was doing.” Fortunately, as he explained to Rolling Stone, his position soon changed.
“It was the commercial success of Fatal Attraction that gave me the confirmation that, ‘OK, you’re there now’. I think when you come from the second generation, and you don’t have that rags-to-riches story, your arc is a little smaller,” he said. “It takes you a little longer to figure out who you are. The assumption is that everything is laid out for you.”
In his mind, Douglas always thought, “You’re being judged against your father’s persona,” which made it harder for him to truly believe he’d made it on his own. He’d done that well before 1987, but awards season glory and major commercial success arriving within such a short space of time turned out to be the perfect confidence boost that finally convinced the actor he had much more to offer than simply being Kirk’s boy.
