Michael Douglas recalled meeting his now-wife Catherine Zeta-Jones at the Deauville American Film Festival in France in 1998 as he received a lifetime achievement award on Friday, the opening night of the 50th edition of the festival.
After being introduced on stage by his Franklin co-star Ludivine Sagnier (“Lupin”) and receiving a standing ovation, Douglas went on to speak — partly in French — about his long history with the Deauville Film Festival and specifically “the little problem with Catherine.”
“I had seen Zorro and Mon Dio just three weeks before I came to the festival,” Douglas joked. “When I arrived to support our film, I thought it was ‘The Perfect Murder’. I looked at the catalogue and saw that Zorro was coming the next night, so I asked my assistant, ‘Can you tell if Catherine Zeta-Jones is coming? Is she coming alone and can I have a drink with her?’ The rest is history.”
This marks his fifth visit to the festival, which he last attended in 2013 to present “My Life with Liberace.” He receives this professional tribute 25 years after his late father Kirk, who was also honored at Deauville with a memorial service in 2020.
Speaking of the longevity of his career, Douglas, who attended the festival alone, exclaimed: “55 years! You work as hard on your failures as you do on your successes, but a writer writes with a pen or a computer, a painter paints, a musician plays instruments, and a film is an army.”
“I think the successes I've had in my career (come) from believing in the material and not worrying about my role,” said Douglas, whose speech was followed by a montage of clips from his most famous roles, from “Wall Street” to “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct,” “The Game,” “Falling Down” and “Traffic.”
“I would rather have a small role in a good movie than a big role in a bad movie. So I really want to thank all the amazing talented craftsmen I have worked with over the years, the directors, my fellow actors, the producers, the costume designers,” the actor continued.
Douglas is so popular in Deauville that one of the most beautiful suites at the five-star Hotel Royal bears his name, along with a small house on the beach. He said he was lucky to stay in his own suite, decorated with photos of him from all the films he has been in.
As previously announced, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and Sebastian Stan will also be honored during the 50th edition. Portman and Williams will receive the Deauville Talent Award for their career achievements, while Stan will be honored with the Hollywood Rising Star Award.
This year marks the first edition of the new artistic director Aude Hesbert, who has just joined the festival from Los Angeles where she headed the French film and television residency programme Villa Albertine. The festival has also brought in new sponsors such as Canal+ and launched a new award, the New Generation Award, which went to director Malia Ahn for her first short film, The Heart. The latter film was screened on opening night before Lee Miller, a biopic of the pioneering photographer played by Kate Winslet, directed by Ellen Kuras.
