Michael Douglas, who is at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival to present a newly restored print of Miloš Forman’s classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” spoke at the festival about his fears for democracy in the U.S. under the Trump administration. When asked at a press conference about the state of politics in his home country, the Oscar-winner said the nation is currently “flirting with autocracy.”
“I look at it generally as the fact of how precious democracy is, of how vulnerable it is and how it always has to be protected,” he added. “I hope that what we’re struggling with right now is a reminder of all the hard work the Czechs did in gaining their freedom and independence. Politics now seem to be for profit. Money has entered democracy as a profit centre. People are going into politics now to make money. We maintained an ideal, an idealism in the U.S., which does not exist now.”
The actor wrapped his comment by saying he prefers “not to go into too much detail” as “the news speaks for itself.” “I myself am worried, I am nervous, and I think it’s all of our responsibility to look out for ourselves.”
The screening of the multiple-Oscar-winning film took place half a decade after “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” played in Karlovy Vary and honors the classic’s relationship to the town and Forman’s home country. The director was a loyal supporter of the festival and, along with Douglas, “Cuckoo” producer Saul Zaentz and Danny DeVito, who also appeared in the film, were all recipients of the festival’s Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. Douglas was joined in the spa town by Zaentz’s nephew, producer Paul Zaentz, and members of Forman’s family.
“The festival was just beginning when we first came here,” reminisced Douglas. “It was a new festival and Miloš felt it was important to his country to be at the festival. I remember we had a good time, it’s a charming, charming town. It’s highly unusual to be supporting and honoring a movie from 50 years ago. It was a reminder for me of how special that picture was. It’s a treat to come back here to the scene of the crime, where Miloš was brought up, with all of what he accomplished.”
The actor looked back at the legendary 1976 Oscars Best Picture line up, which included Forman’s eventual winner alongside “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Jaws,” “Barry Lyndon” and “Nashville.” “I ask you, in the last 20 years, has there ever been anywhere near that kind of quality of movies there?”
Zaentz agreed, adding that he wouldn’t remake the film now, but is currently working on a series adaptation of Ken Kesey’s classic from the point of view of Chief Bromden. “We just made an arrangement with Kesey’s family, to possibly do a television series, but it’s based on the book and the book was told through the eyes of Chief Bromden. At the end of the first series, the Jack Nicholson character would die. And then the second year would be what happens to the Chief after he escapes. That I’m ok with, but never a remake of the movie.”
The producer also mentioned he is working on an adaptation of an off-Broadway play, titled “Backyard Desert,” and which trails four U.S border agents in Arizona who meet a dying Mexican immigrant trying to cross the border. “They realize these are real people escaping terrible situations who deserve to be respected, not thrown into concentration camps in the Everglades. We’re halfway through with the budget and hoping to be able to film it in October.”
Zaentz is also working on a TV adaptation of another one of his uncle’s Oscar-winning films, “The English Patient,” although he says the “beautiful” script he currently has right now “is too expensive for the streamers.” “It’s based on what was in the book that was not in the movie. We’re rewriting it now.”
While most of the press conference revolved around the 50-year-old film and Douglas’ legendary career, the actor also spoke about his present and future, most specifically his battle against throat cancer. “Stage 4 cancer is not a holiday, but there aren’t many choices, are there?,” he said. “I went with the program, involving chemo and radiation, and was fortunate. The surgery would have meant not being able to talk and removing part of my jaw and that would have been limiting as an actor.”
“I have not worked since 2022 purposefully because I realized I had to stop,” he added. “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. I have no real intentions of going back. I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, no.”
Douglas did say he has “one little independent movie” he is “trying to get a good script out of,” but wrapped by stating that, “in the spirit of maintaining a good marriage,” he is “happy to play the wife” to his long-time wife Catherine Zeta-Jones for now.
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