Move over, Gordon Gekko: Michael Douglas may still be up to giving that Wall Street indictable con man a second shot this fall in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, but right now he’s got something a bit more lurid in mind, as an aging womanizer in Solitary Man. Chewing nervously on gumdrops, Douglas turned up for this interview to dish on the art of lying to women—but never to the camera—along with his puzzling take on his creepy character definitely being a Long Island man, and whether you’re talking sex or candy, it’s all about something he refers to as “medicating.” But we were more into finding out how and why the 65-year-old star can still pull off playing sex objects, whether on the giving or receiving end. And though Douglas is cool with his Solitary Man being accused of all sorts of less-than-complimentary stuff, just don’t refer to Ben as a sleazeball.
Q: How is your son Cameron doing since his drug conviction, and how has it been for you?
MICHAEL DOUGLAS: He’s doing as well as can be expected. He’s been sentenced now, so it’s actually a little bit of a relief. It’s been a long year dealing with it. But life goes on, and hopefully he’ll be a better person.
Q: Has it been stressful for you on the job?
MD: I might have been a little curt sometimes, but they were cool about that.
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Q: Michael, you’re so great at playing jerks. So what did you figure out about this Ben character?
MD: Oh, you’re breaking my heart! Hey, I am able to get…that sympathy vote! Tough job, somebody’s gotta be able to do it! But he’s an urban NY guy, probably from Long Island. And he’s a little fish in a big pond. So that’s probably what they were thinking when they thought that I should play the part. Not the sleazeball thing!
Q: What did you do to get into Ben’s head?
MD: I guess I’ll give the example of when I was doing Fatal Attraction. And somebody told me early on, “The camera can always tell when you’re lying.” And I’d be like, “Oh my god.” So I used to act painfully; I would act in such pain. And I remember starting Fatal Attraction, and thinking about how there are two types of actors. You know, one is building the character, and putting the character on. And then, it just dawned on me, “Wait a minute. We lie all the time, what am I talking about? Every day we lie!” So this thing came over me, and it started with Fatal. Well I could be a lawyer, I could have an affair, so what character?
So there’s the question: Instead of putting the makeup on, how about stripping it off? You know, wiping your face off, wiping it all off. And just trying to get down to some kind of truth. I mean, the character is on the page for you, the rhythm is there. And this is a car dealer.
So you have that. And you know the pace that you’ve got to get up to. You know, dialogue-wise, to make it work. Then if it’s good, it takes off by itself.
Q: What is Ben’s problem? Is it midlife crisis?
MD: No. It’s a third act. And like a mortality issue. Yeah. And he’s running on empty, just living for the moment, thinking it’s his last. There’s a certain desperation. But he’s a car dealer. So he’s a…motormouth!
Q: How so?
MD: He doesn’t necessarily think about what he’s saying, or really the repercussions of his actions. And I think there’s that experience which sobers him up.
Q: Is Ben using sex for everything he feels he’s failed at in life?
MD: Sure. He’s definitely medicating! Whether it’s through sex, or anything else. He’s drowning, and trying to get out.
Q: From a male perspective, how does it feel to play an older guy who’s having sex with a 19-year-old, and that the men in the audience out there may be jealous?
MD: Well, I’m sure the women out there don’t feel the same way! But that’s the way it goes. I enjoy being provocative, and doing things that are, you know, questionable. But the gay and lesbian movement killed Sharon Stone, you know? Because she played a lesbian as a murderer. So there’s always somebody doing that somewhere. And you just hope that it turns out good. At least I do. And I figure, somebody else out there might like it! But I really don’t worry too much about that.
