Michael Douglas doesn’t appreciate the “nepo baby” label.
“I think it’s an unfortunate title,” Michael, the son of late Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, exclusively told Page Six on Wednesday while promoting his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride.”
“I guess you could say that about any business,” the “Wall Street” actor continued. “The same thing with Hollywood royalty. My father’s father was a junkman.”
Michael, 82, explained that the career evolution of the Douglas men inspired one of the main throughlines in his book.
“That was that was part of my motivation, to tell about the ups and the downs anyone has in their life, and how hard you work for it versus something that’s just handed to you,” he shared.
Michael also gushed that he’s “blessed with the combination of genes” that he got from Kirk, who died in Feb. 2020 at age 103, and his “lovely” mom, Bermudian-American actress Diana Douglas, who passed away in July 2015 at age 92.
Not only is Michael a nepo baby, but he and his wife, fellow Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, have two children, Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23, who are pursuing their own acting careers.
Michael’s oldest son Cameron, 47, whom he shares with ex-wife Diandra Luker, is also an actor.
The “Basic Instinct” star told Page Six that his main advice for his kids is “if you don’t like rejection, don’t do it.”
“I know how worried my father was,” he said about Kirk, before adding of his children, “They’re very talented, all three of them. I think it will all work out.”
Michael has pushed back on the nepo baby debate while promoting his memoir.
“Is there any business in the world that the mother or father doesn’t try to get their son or daughter into?” he told Peopleearlier this week. “We all try to help our kids to some degree.”
The “Romancing the Stone” star also recalled that early on in his career, people would tell him, “You remind me so much of your father,” and he’d thank them.
But Michael said he would think to himself, “I don’t want to hear that. I’m going to be my own person.”
He also defended Dylan and Carys for following in their parents footsteps, noting they’ve “been acting since they were in kindergarten.”
“Every play, every show, summer theater camps, graduating, I mean, they’ve done so much work. It’s unbelievable,” he told the outlet, clarifying that Cameron — who battled addiction and served seven years in federal prison on drug-related charges — “is also working” now.
In his memoir, Michael had high praise for his late father, who acted for over six decades.
“Much of my story is about finding my way in the world as I carried the weight of my legendary father’s legacy,” he wrote. “How could it not be? After all, I am the son of Spartacus.”
“One Helluva Ride” is out now.
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