Back on track. Cameron Douglas recalled the long road to recovering his relationship with dad Michael Douglas following his ups and downs with addiction.
“My father, aside from me, was probably the relationship that took the longest to sort of, you know, find its way back to — I think a place where both of us felt fulfilled and felt safe,” Cameron, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, May 5, while promoting his American Addiction Centers’ Addiction Talk episode.
The National Lampoon’s Adam & Eve actor noted that his famous father, 78, is “extremely pragmatic” so his past actions somewhat tainted their friendship after he was released from prison following a nearly seven-year stint.
Cameron was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison for heroin possession and dealing methamphetamine and cocaine. His sentence was extended after he confessed to smuggling drugs into jail. The Long Way Home author was released early in August 2016 and has since become clean.
“It was years of my behavior [that added to] us not really having much of a relationship … [starting] since I was an early teen,” Cameron told Us on Friday. “It was never a nasty relationship, you know, we always sort of had a good time together and obviously love each other. It just wasn’t much there because I wasn’t available.”
The California native — who shares Lua, 5, and Ryder, 2, with partner Viviane Thibes — added: “It took a little while for him to sort of trust me again and realize that things [had] changed. [I’m] grateful for that and now we’re able to enjoy each other’s company on a regular basis and not just, like, once in a blue moon.”
The father-son duo’s positive connection has led to them teaming up for the upcoming movie Blood Knot. (Michael shares Cameron with his first wife, Diandra Luker. The Oscar winner is also father of son Dylan, 22, and daughter Carys, 20, whom he shares with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones.)
“I’m looking forward to that experience. It’s gonna be fun shooting down in Belize,” Cameron explained, revealing, “Actually, I don’t have any scenes with him. But I’m just happy to be doing it with him.”
The Wire Room actor gushed over his dad, calling him “fantastic.” Cameron also said that Michael is a spitting image of his own father, the late Kirk Douglas.
“He’s reminding me a lot of my grandfather. He’s like a force of nature. He just loves the work and [he’s] built to continue doing it,” Cameron said of the Basic Instinct star. “He’s a great role model and we’ve been having some fun lately. So it’s been nice.”
The Fatal Attraction actor and his eldest son previously worked together on 2003’s It Runs in the Family. The movie also starred the Douglas’ patriarch, Kirk, who died in February 2020 at age 103.
In addition to getting back into acting, Cameron has continued to share his story of addiction and recovery, including a recent chat Addition Talk chat featured on the American Addiction Centers’ website.
“If my experiences can be helpful, then all the better,” he said of his choice to continually speak up. “So if there’s a platform where that’s possible and it makes sense, then I’m certainly open to it.”
The author added that life is a “process” and he is looking for “elevation” as well as changing for the better. “I’m definitely inspired and fulfilled. But I’m hungry and I think that’s good,” Cameron concluded.
Listen to Cameron’s Addiction Talk episode here.
If you or anyone you know is facing substance abuse issues, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential information 24/7.
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
