Micheal Douglas: the interview

Michael, were you happy to play Gordon Gekko again?
Hey, it was a great part — one of the best parts I ever had, so why not? I got an Oscar for it and if somebody asks you to play the role again, but this time rather than being at the top you're at the bottom...so yeah, very happy.

Did you find it quite poignant returning to this role?
It could have been a little depressing — all you had to look at was how old you'd gotten. Whereas you could take advantage of your age coming out of jail and all that and build to something at the end. But you know the first draft was really good and Allan Loeb came in and did a really good job on the second. Oliver [Stone] had no interest in this at all, really, until Allan's draft. And then there was the [global financial crisis], and then Oliver said yeah. I really felt that was the only way to go: rather than with a new director I felt it would be really great to bookend it with him. And then Oliver added all the minutiae and verisimilitude and all the great details stuff. He's a really good filmmaker.

Do you feel Gekko has changed?
Everybody was curious when we talked about doing a sequel. Had Gekko seen the light? Was he converted? So we said, okay, that's good, so let's play with that. Let's play with that right up until the end. He had a lot of anger, he did a lot of time for a non-violent crime, but he had no way to vent his anger. He was broke, relatively, except for the money his daughter was lying about. So there was lots of stuff to play with.

Gekko became an 80s hero despite the best intentions of Oliver. How do you feel about that?
I can't really explain it except everybody likes a good villain. It was a really well-written part and he had some great lines. I talked to all these MBA students who just worship Gordon and I look at them and say, 'he broke the law, insider trading, yadda, yadda, yadda.' And they go, 'Yeah, but he looks great.' All those MBA guys are probably running those companies now.

What was it like working with Oliver Stone then and now?
He pushes you. He's more like a professional sports coach. He's not there going, 'oh, I know how insecure [being an actor] is, are you OK?' He tests you and he's confrontational. Twenty-two years later, Oliver hasn't changed a whole lot. He still burns the candle at every which end. I don't know how he does it and just when you think he's going to fall asleep in his chair, he hears you completely and then he's got a great direction for you.

How have you changed?
I'm more comfortable with myself and I don't try as hard. It doesn't mean as much.

How do you feel in general about sequels? Because you weren't in 'Basic Instinct 2'...
You want to see my saggy ass? Generally, I don't like sequels. I did one sequel for Romancing the Stone and they call this a sequel, but I think it's more of a bookend.

Would you like to do another action movie?
As long as I don't have to run. The last one I did I ran and Eva Longoria passed me and she was in high heels. I thought, holy shit, I'm in trouble.

Would you do a 'Wall Street 3' even if it takes another 23 years to make?
Oh yeah. Oliver and I will be wheeling our chairs out. That's not so far-fetched. Kirk [Douglas, Michael's dad] is 93 and he's about to do another picture, if they can afford the insurance. [Laughs].

What do you look for in a role these days?
It's always been the same: a good script, a good movie. I've never cared about the parts. Sometimes you get a good part and sometimes you don't, but I'm happily married, got two young kids. It's a great time to work on nuclear disarmament, so I do that a lot. I've got my next role lined up. I'm going to do Liberace with Matt Damon and Steven Soderbergh directing.

Click here to read our review of Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps