Actor Michael Douglas Has No Plans to Return to Acting...Unless

Legendary actor Michael Douglas has been taking time off from acting since 2022 and is in no rush to return. But he’s keeping his options open, he told fans July 6 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival held in the Czech Republic. He was attending the festival to present a restored version of the 1975 film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, produced by Douglas.

As to why he’s taking a break? “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set,” he said.

But the actor stopped short of saying he’s retired, stating, “If something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, I’m quite happy. I like to watch my wife work.” Douglas has been married to longtime actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, 55, since 2000.

The two-time Academy Award winner also shared details at the festival about his battle with tongue cancer. In 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with Stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer. Douglas has been in remission since 2011. “Stage 4 cancer is not a holiday, but there aren’t many choices, are there?” he said. “I went with the program, involving chemo and radiation, and was fortunate.”

He credits radiation and chemotherapy for saving his acting career, adding that he was “lucky to continue working.” If he had to have surgery, that would have altered his appearance (part of his jaw would have had to be removed), as well as his ability to speak or talk, he said.

Douglas has been a box-office fixture for decades with leading roles in movies including Fatal Attraction (1987), Wall Street (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992). He’s also shone as a producer with films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (which won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976), The China Syndrome (1979) and Made in America (1993).

But he doesn’t have a favorite film and he moves on quickly after a production is done, he told AARP in a 2021 interview. “I hate to say it, but I’ve rarely seen any of my pictures more than once. At the premiere, I just go through the red carpet and then out the back door. I love the process of making films, but I don’t dwell. When I’ve had a good part or good scene, it’s usually based on the writing and directing.”

In the same interview, he also spoke about the surprises that came with getting older. “I have been shocked by the reduction of my stamina,” Douglas said. “And my long-term memory is fine, but my short-term memory is not. I used to blame it on pot. But I’ve got some friends who’ve been smoking as long as I have and have fabulous memories, so I don’t think that’s the issue.”

Douglas’ most recent acting highlights include playing Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ show, Franklin (2024) and starring alongside Alan Arkin in the Netflix show, The Kominsky Method (2018-2021), for which Douglas won a Golden Globe for best actor.