Michael Douglas Gets Mistaken For His Children's Grandfather, Says Age Makes Him Better Father

The 79-year-old actor is the father of three, 45-year-old Cameron, with his ex wife Diandra Luker, 23-year-old son Dylan and 20-year-old daughter Carys whom he shares with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones.

While speaking to The Telegraph he recalled an awkward story while visiting his younger children at university...

"This is not grandfather's day, this is parents' day. I say 'I am a parent!' That was a rough one."

Despite being on the older side for a father, Douglas says parenting later in life has made him a better one.

But when it came to his first child, Cameron, he has some regrets about his parenting choices then and putting Hollywood first.

"Cameron suffered a lot from that time ... I was just overwhelmed and overloaded by my work. And family was really taking third place after work, our country and then the family, as opposed to when Catherine and I got together," Douglas admitted to the publication.

"And you've done enough work already that you were looking more to enjoy the opportunity and the kids," he added.

Douglas is actually a grandfather, too, to Cameron's children: Lua, who was born in 2017, and Ryder, born in 2020.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas have been married for almost 25 years, with the actor describing his marriage to the 54-year-old actress as a "good ride".

“This has been a great time for me, but I've been very fortunate. Catherine and I have been together, it'll be 25 years this year. I've been very fortunate, happy with the choices that I've made and now am kind of really backing off and smelling the roses a little more, travelling more," Douglas said of his later years.

And while travelling and spending time with his children is his biggest priority -- the family went on a five-week trip to India over Christmas -- he is still fitting in some work.

His latest project has been starring as United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in the miniseries, Franklin. While he's never ventured into the land of politics in real life ... he has been asked.

While appearing on CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Douglas was asked why he hasn't run for president.

"Well I did the movie one, I had the ending. There's a difference when you have the ending," he joked with Zakaria referring to his 1995 film, The American President.

"No, they asked me to run for governor a couple times in California at an earlier time," he added.

Zakaria referenced the fact that there is only a couple years in age between Douglas and President Joe Biden before asking the actor's opinion on if he believes age will affect the President's upcoming election.

"I think that I walk a little similar to him and the people that I have talked to and everybody that I have say he is as sharp as a tack," Douglas emphasizes. "We all have an issue with memories as we get older, we all have an issue with names as we get older, he has overcome a stutter in his life ... and sometimes he might."

Douglas then compares Biden to his rival and predecessor in office, Donald Trump, and the general consensus from each of their Cabinets.

"Let's just say that his entire Cabinet, including his vice president, everybody in his Cabinet would be more than happy to work with him again in the next term," Douglas concluded. "I cannot say that about the other candidate running because nobody in his Cabinet from 2016 wants to be involved with him."

Douglas has labelled this year's election as the "most important election" of his lifetime.