Michael Douglas Confirms ‘Basic Instinct’ Affair Before Marrying Catherine Zeta-Jones

Michael Douglas has written a tell-all memoir, One Helluva Ride, which was released on October 6. The book details his secret on-set romance with Jeanne Tripplehorn, his Basic Instinct co-star. It came as a surprise to many, as there had been a long-running rumor that the actor had an off-screen affair with Sharon Stone while filming the movie. In his memoir, Douglas offered a completely different account, noting,

They were so focused on a possible relationship between Sharon and me, they missed the real relationship happening between me and Jeanne.

This wasn’t the only affair he spoke of in the book; in fact, he went into great detail, finally confirming another long-standing rumor with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner. All of these secret romances occurred before Douglas began dating Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1999 and married her the following year.

Michael Douglas Reveals How His Basic Instinct Affair Started

Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct | Credit: TriStar Pictures

Douglas, 82, explained in his memoir that his affair with Tripplehorn began in 1992 as they filmed the erotic thriller, which would later become a cult classic. At that time, Douglas was still legally married to his first wife, Diandra Luker, although they were already separated. In his book, he acknowledged that many speculated about a romance between him and Sharon Stone; but in fact, it was a different co-star he was romancing.

Douglas admitted that it “took great pains to hide [the relationship] from the cast and crew.” He recalled that while filming in San Francisco, he “spent so many hours together, talking, really getting to know each other, enjoying each other’s company away from the set and everything else in the world.”

Michael Douglas Recalls Why His Jeanne Tripplehorn Affair Didn’t Last

Jeanne Tripplehorn and Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct | Credit: TriStar Pictures

While Douglas recently told PEOPLE, “Jeanne was a special lady,” their affair at that time didn’t last long. It was complicated from the get-go, as the actor revealed that Tripplehorn “was unwilling to get involved” with someone still married. In his book, Douglas wrote that he assured her, “Diandra and I had formally separated… we were both seeing other people on the side, living separate lives, and we knew the marriage was over.”

The two nevertheless continued the affair. The actor noted that he fell very hard for his co-star. “I was crazy about her,” he wrote. However, he admits, “I was also just self-aware enough to know that the worst thing I could do at that moment after nearly twenty years of marriage was jump right into another serious relationship.”

Douglas revealed that the romance lasted through production, after which they went their separate ways. He hasn’t had much connection with Tripplehorn ever since, and she has been married to Leland Orser since 2000. In his memoir, Douglas noted that when he called her to ask about including their affair in his memoir, she agreed. “I will always think of her as an amazing actress and a truly terrific woman that I was very fortunate to spend time with,” he wrote.

Have you read One Helluva Ride yet? Let us know what you think of the memoir in the comments.