Marvel star Michael Douglas expressed one regret about his illustrious acting career. In an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival, the Hollywood veteran revealed that his dual roles of acting and producing proved cumbersome. Douglas is primarily known for his acting career. However, he has also produced multiple films and television shows, some of which he has acted in.
Michael Douglas on why producing and acting together wasn’t a good combination
The 81-year-old actor attended the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in December 2024, where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the film industry.
Before accepting the award, Michael Douglas sat down for a conversation where he touched upon his decade-spanning career. He revealed that he found himself acting in projects that he produced, adding that his producer duties took over his career.
“Careful what you wish for. I had a big production company. I financed my own movies,” the Ant-Man actor shared (via Far Out Magazine). “The producing aspect of my life sort of took over, and I would find myself in movies I was producing, and that is not a good combination,” Douglas continued.
He added that once his acting work finished, he would go through scripts his production company was developing and make notes on them. “So, the job became overwhelming,” he further stated. “There were about 20 years in there which I could have simplified and probably enjoyed life more.”
The two-time Oscar winner has produced numerous films over the years. He entered the producing scene with Jack Nicholson‘s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He subsequently produced/executive-produced several features he also acted in, such as The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, and The Sentinel.
Douglas has also produced films in which he did not act. These include Flatliners (the 1990 and 2017 versions), Starman, Double Impact, and Made in America.
His production credits have also expanded to include television shows like Ratched, Franklin, and The Kominsky Method.
