Michael Douglas got Jeanne Tripplehorn’s approval before writing about their relationship in his explosive new memoir.
“I talked to him about it before I put it in the book,” he told Page Six in an exclusive interview, assuring him that “he was fine.”
The actress revealed in “One Helluva Ride” that she had a steamy fling with Tripplehorn, 63, while filming “Basic Instinct.”
At the time of the film’s release, many assumed that Douglas was in a relationship with another female lead, Sharon Stone, due to their steamy scenes together.
“The truth is that I fell very much 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, said in the book.
“In fact, I was literally ready to leave my wife for Jeanne. I was crazy about her.”
But the “Wall Street” star noted that she knew that ditching her nearly two-decade marriage and jumping straight into another serious relationship would be the “worst thing” for her.
“My relationship with Jeanne lasted until production, then we went our separate ways,” the 82-year-old wrote in the book.
“But I will always think of her as a wonderful actress and a truly amazing woman who I was so lucky to spend time with.”
Douglas eventually divorced Luker and has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57, since 2000. Tripplehorn married 66-year-old actor Leland Orser in 2000.
The Oscar winner also told Page Six that he hasn’t seen Tripplehorn “in years,” but called it a “significant” relationship.
“These aren’t just about relationships. These are important friendships and working together. He was good. He was married for a long time,” they explained.
The book also includes stories about Douglas’ relationship with Kathleen Turner during the filming of “Romancing the Stone,” his cocaine addiction, his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones, and his battle with cancer.