Michael Douglas got Jeanne Tripplehorn’s approval before writing about their affair in his explosive new memoir.
“I spoke to her before putting it in the book,” he told Page Six in an exclusive interview, before assuring that “she was OK” with it.
In “One Helluva Ride,” the actor revealed that he had a steamy affair with Tripplehorn, 63, while filming “Basic Instinct.”
At the time of the film’s release, many believed that Douglas was having an affair with another female co-star, Sharon Stone, due to their steamy scenes together.
“The truth is that I fell very deeply in love with Jeanne despite our age difference of almost 20 years,” the Oscar winner – who was then married to his first wife, Diandra Luker – explained in the book.
“In fact, I was ready to officially leave my wife for Jeanne. I was crazy about her.”
The “Wall Street” star noted, however, that he knew that abandoning nearly two decades of marriage and jumping straight into another serious relationship would be the “worst thing” for him.
“My relationship with Jeanne lasted throughout production, then we separated,” the 82-year-old wrote in the book.
“But I will always consider her an extraordinary actress and a truly wonderful woman who I was lucky enough to spend time with.”
Douglas eventually divorced Luker and he has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57, since 2000. Tripplehorn then married actor Leland Orser, 66, in 2000.
The Oscar winner also told Page Six that he hasn’t seen Tripplehorn “in years,” but he called it an “important” relationship.
“It’s not just about having affairs. It’s about important friendships and working together. She was fine. She’s been married for a long time,” he explained.
The tome also includes stories about Douglas’s affair with Kathleen Turner during the filming of “Romancing the Stone,” his cocaine addiction, his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones and his battle with cancer.
Gn entert
