Earlier this month, Michael Douglas did an unusual thing for an actor in the midst of the #MeToo movement: He gave an interview to preemptively deny any sexual-misconduct allegations potentially lodged against him in the future. “I had the choice of waiting for a story to come out, one that will clearly get picked up by other newspapers and magazines, and then I have to sit there and try to defend myself,†he explained. “Or, try to share with the public, a little ahead of the story, my thoughts and concerns.†Indeed, a few days later, an author came forward to accuse Douglas of sexual harassment when she worked for him in the 1980s — claims of which Douglas has yet to offer a follow-up response to. However, Douglas’s wife of nearly 20 years, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is being very complimentary of how he’s handled the situation.
“He had to come out preemptively because of what he believes in,†she said on The View this week. “Michael came out with that preemptive statement. He was articulate, said it from the heart, was honest, open and transparent. He now has to take the next step for where he goes from here. It happened 30 years ago, it was B.C.: before Catherine.†Zeta-Jones also brought up her role as a mother to drive her point home: “I have a daughter. As we battle through now, I hope this is something she won’t even have to think of.â€