Kathleen Turner on Her Kominsky Method Reunion With Michael Douglas: “We Just Picked Up Immediately”
In this week's Little Gold Men podcast, the Oscar nominee told of her career about how she spent the epidemic, and why she thinks "people have been afraid of me all my life."
People have been telling Kathleen Turner about her career since her 1981 body heat breakdown. "I think people have been afraid of me all my life," she told Vanity Fair's Katie Rich on this week's Little Gold Men podcast. Whether it frightened producers at her young age with her power, or studio executives insisting that men sell more tickets than women, Turner never backed down from the challenge. Still, she says the people she's worked closely with over the years treat her with respect: "When they know me, they love me."
This is certainly the case with Turner and his long-time collaborator Michael Douglas. Before joining forces for the third and final season of The Kominsky Method, he co-starred in a trio of previous projects — Romancing the Stone, its sequel The Jewel of the Nile and The War of the Roses. In it, they play the role of Rose and Sandy's duel, drawing electrifying consequences on their own offscreen history. Turner also talked about shooting for the third season of The Kominsky Method under strict COVID protocol, with John Waters and Steve Martin, and when she was planning to return to the stage.
Beyond Turner's saying, this week's Little Gold Men podcast featured the thoughts of Chris Murphy, Richard Lawson, Katie Rich, and Joanna Robinson on everything from 2002's Chicago endurance to Daytime Emmy nominations. He also discussed two of the summer's new releases - Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II, before Hillary Bussis' interview with Renee Ellis Goldsberry of Girls 5 Ava.
Listen to the episodes above, and find Little Gold Men on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else you find your podcasts. We'd also love to hear from you via text, which you can sign up for here.
Read a partial transcript of the Kathleen Turner interview below.
Well, I wanted to ask how has your relationship with Michael Douglas been over the years. You have talked about them a lot in other interviews. It seemed obvious that you had a rapport when you worked together in the 80s and you continued, but did you guys keep in touch or was there such a reunion?
No, we kept in touch. I mean, Michael lives on the East Coast, also in the Hudson Valley. So when he came to New York like a matinee or something, we had lunch, which was great to see him. But it's almost like we've just picked up - like there's never been a whole year in between working together. We just got into the rhythm and we know each other very well.
When he asked you to live on it, did he present you as a war couple of roses?
The war of roses continues. No, well, Chuck Lorre is the one who actually told me this. However, when I did the second season, just a scene, no, Michael told me about it. But then to do the entire season, Chuck Lorre called and described the character and, what else the arc ... and what would happen. And I said, "No, no, Chuck, stop, wait. You're telling me that you're writing to adults who learn and change? For television?" otherwise also. But I like that in the process of being together, they start to remember why they cared about each other. And I think it's really cute.
Yes, and it also has such a beautiful history. Not only because we have seen you working together before, but also because the characters establish themselves. As you get older, these things that felt so important and drive you crazy just matter. I wondered if there was something that reflected in your life as well, that as you get older, these things from the past don't drive you as crazy as they used to.
no exactly. Absolutely. Something happens, and you just go into the realm of things, there is nothing big. Yeah, I think as you get older, you learn more tolerance, and you don't take things too personally. When you're younger, everything is about you, and that's no longer necessarily true. I rather enjoy it.
There is this lovely tone of sadness, especially in this season of Kominsky Method, that I think you would not have associated with a television comedy even 10 years ago.
Chuck calls me and says that he would like me to play this role and he told how she would return for the daughter's wedding, and so Sandy and Rose would be forced to treat each other, a -Having to be around other and all that stuff. And what they do is they start rediscovering why they were attracted to each other — what they liked about each other. So, it is really sweet. And I said, "No, Chuck, wait. You are telling me that you are writing such adults in television who learn and change?"
And which are attractive to each other. The idea of them coming back together is very much on the table throughout the season.
Oh, I don't think so.
Don't you think so? It has definitely been teased. The idea is ... I think you say to her, "I never dominate you" and then tell her that you're fucking with her.
Oh yes. I loved that. I loved it. But I mean, at one point, I think in this dinner scene, Sarah Baker, the daughter, (played by), says, "I love it. You're like an old married couple." And we were like, "What? No, not us!" No, they are not. They are not happy. But what they do, you can see how many years they were together, like you can do with Michael and me. Instinct and… you jump right in to get to know them again.