LOS ANGELES: Their once-rocky relationship is closer than ever, but Michael Douglas has revealed dad Kirk still harbors one grudge — being snubbed for his son’s Oscar-winning “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
The younger Douglas was just 29 when he earned his place among Hollywood’s elite as the producer behind the first movie in 40 years to sweep the “big five” Oscars for best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay.
Kirk, now 100, had starred in the Broadway version and even handed the movie rights for the iconic 1975 drama to his son, but was shocked when he was passed over for the role of convict Randle McMurphy in favor of the younger Jack Nicholson.
Michael, 72, told a Q&A in Hollywood on Saturday how his father’s plans to adapt the moderately successful 1963 play based on Ken Kesey’s novel had foundered after a number of years and he was about to sell on the rights.
“I say, ‘Please, dad, don’t sell the project. It’s a great project. So let me take it and run with it and I’ll try to get it set up as a production and for you to play the part,’ and dad said, ‘Okay great,’” Douglas recalled.
“Here’s where Kirk’s and my story digress. On his version, yeah sure, Michael gets the project, takes a year, sets it all up and doesn’t cast me in the part. If he were here right now, it’s the first thing he’d want to tell you.”
Douglas told Turner Classic Movies presenter Ben Mankiewicz, who was hosting a discussion on the actor’s glittering career, that he remembers one key part of the story differently, insisting he was not to blame for his dad’s rejection.
Michael Douglas on Kirk’s dismay over ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ snub
Michael Douglas on Kirk’s dismay over ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ snub
Harry Styles announces first album in 4 years, ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’
- It follows the critically acclaimed synth pop “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards
- “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon
NEW YORK: In this world, it’s just him: Harry Styles has announced that his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive this spring.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” and out March 6, the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In a review, The Associated Press celebrated “Harry’s House” for showcasing “a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.”
On Instagram, Styles’ shared the cover artwork for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
According to a press release, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon. The British songwriter and producer has been a close collaborator of Styles’ since the beginning of his solo career, working on all of his albums since the singer’s 2017 self-titled debut.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is now available for preorder.
It is also Styles’ first project since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
