Nearly four decades after the 1988 Academy Awards, Michael Douglas has reopened one of Hollywood’s friendliest rivalries — and Cher is taking it in good humour.
What Michael Douglas said
Douglas, 82, was a guest on The Graham Norton Show alongside his Fatal Attraction co-star Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin and Naomi Ackie when the talk turned to Close’s long wait for an Oscar.
Close, 79, joked that the Academy is finally handing her an honorary award at this month’s Governors Awards because voters “probably don’t want to feel guilty anymore.” She has been nominated eight times in competitive categories without a win.
Douglas didn’t hold back. “She should have won with ‘Fatal Attraction’,” he said, pointing to her chilling turn as Alex Forrest, which earned her a fourth nomination. That year, the best actress trophy went to Cher for Moonstruck.
When Norton reacted with an “Oh, wow,” Douglas quipped, “I know. That’s what we all said,” while Ackie laughed, “The shade! The shade, mate!” Douglas went on to call Close’s performance one of “the greatest performances of all time.”
Cher’s reply
There is no bad blood on Cher’s side. “Cher adores Michael Douglas,” a representative for the 80-year-old singer and actress told Page Six.
A look back at the 1988 race
Cher beat a heavyweight field that year: Close, Holly Hunter for Broadcast News, Sally Kirkland for Anna and Meryl Streep for Ironweed. In Moonstruck she played Loretta Castorini, a Brooklyn widow who falls for her fiancé’s younger brother, played by Nicolas Cage.
Fatal Attraction picked up six nominations, including best picture, but went home empty-handed. Douglas still had a big night, winning best actor for playing Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.
Close will finally get her own statuette when she receives an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November.
Source: Page Six.
