The Appeal of Movies Featuring Fictional U.S. Presidents: Douglas laughed as he pointed out he’s been demoted with this movie. “I went from President to drug czar and now a lowly Secret Service agent. Not even head of my detail…” As for why audiences are still fascinated by films involving American politics and the President, Douglas said, “Power. I think ultimate power seems to be the interest…playing on that field.
I mean it’s wild. I’d like to think that all of my pictures kind of have something to do with what’s going on in the world and current events. We started this one – it’s going to be five years ago when we first optioned the book. I get a kick out of seeing what’s going on, the leaks coming out of Washington, homicide detectives working for the mob…being hit men and all of that. It’s kind of wild out there.”
Playing Flawed Characters is Attractive to Michael Douglas: “I always like those flawed characters that dig themselves a big hole. And, if we properly put the credibility - make the story solid and proper then, and believable - then audiences seem to enjoy watching how you get out of it. I think it’s pretty unpredictable about who did it and where it’s going to go, which always helps with these things. There’s nothing worse than always knowing.”
Is There Another Erotic Thriller in Michael Douglas’ Future?: After joking that his a** is dragging Douglas said, “I think, I mean we’ve seen what happened with Basic Instinct, this last one. We did Basic Instinct about 14 years ago and we did it really well. It was a good part, a great part for Sharon [Stone], but I was in the picture and Paul Verhoeven was directing it and sometimes people forget, when there’s a really good showy part, what else it needs for it to be a really good movie - and it was a good movie. She shined in it but it was a really good movie.
Ironically – and taking nothing away from Sharon, because it was her kind of break-out picture and she was wonderful in it but we were trying, because it was a great part, trying to get a star. Kim Basinger was the actress that we went to in the original. She did 9 ½ Weeks and so didn’t want to get type[cast].
Douglas continued. “…I think it’s increasingly difficult on film to do sexual type movies because of what exists on the Internet, what exists on cable television now, what exists on even Eva [Longoria’s] show on regular network – Desperate Housewives. The broadcasting standards have changed and there’s much more titillation involved in, in that area. So I think that makes a big difference.”
On Playing the Romantic Leading Man: Audiences still enjoy seeing Michael Douglas as the romantic lead and Douglas hasn’t suffered from a lack of actresses willing to play opposite him in love stories. “I make my fellow actors comfortable,” explained Douglas. “I think that’s part of my producing background is I’m not threatened by a good performance by somebody else. I welcome it. I encourage it.
As far as these types of movies, whether it was Glenn Close or Sharon or Jeanne Tripplehorn or Demi Moore, they felt comfortable – and with Kim [Basinger] in our brief scene, which we would have liked to have extended if it were that kind of movie. But as long as they’re comfortable. You know they know that you’re looking out for them. You rehearse it and you tell them what you’re doing or what you’re planning on doing so it’s not what’s that, you know? What’s going on? They know that I’m going to touch here or this. ‘Is it okay?’ and then you’re kind of like running a dance step; one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four – and then you pick it up.”
