Michael Douglas may be a famous movie star from a well-known acting family, but that doesn't mean everyone knows the ins and outs of his family life. The actor has an 18-year-old daughter, Carys, and 20-year-old son, Dylan, with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, as well as a 42-year-old son, Cameron, from his first marriage to Diandra Luker. But, if you don't know all of that and run in to the 76-year-old celebrity, well, it could lead to a slightly awkward mistake, as he recently explained.
During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Douglas said that he's been mistaken for his daughter Carys' grandfather, most recently at her high school graduation. Read on to see what the Ant-Man actor had to say about being an older parent to a teen and to learn about his actual grandchildren
RELATED: See Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' Kids All Grown Up.
Carys just graduated from high school.
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Zeta-Jones and Douglas celebrated their daughter graduating from high school in May. "Congratulations to Carys and the entire class of 2021!" Douglas captioned an Instagram post of the family all posing together. "Your Mom and I are so proud of you! We love you so much and we are so excited for your future as the best is yet to come!"
Zeta-Jones shared the same photo on her Instagram, and wrote, "Carys!!! What a proud day as our daughter Carys graduates with honors for her International Baccalaureate! You rock and we love you." As Zeta-Jones explained in an interview Today in 2020, Carys attended boarding school, which made her and her husband "early empty nesters"—at least until COVID struck and the kids headed back home.
Someone thought Douglas was attending the graduation for a grandchild.
"We had a lovely experience," Douglas told Kelly Clarkson of the graduation. He added that due to COVID protocols, not everyone was in the same room. But, he added, "It was so wonderful and I'm so proud of her."
The actor continued, "I gotta tell you, Kelly, it's a little rough when you're going out the doors and the other parents are saying, 'Oh congratulations … You must be so proud of your granddaughter.' I said, 'Well, I don't know, man. Yeah, OK.' I'm not gonna take it personal. I think they're just trying to be nice."
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Douglas has opened up about being an older father.
In a 2010 interview with the Guardian, Douglas spoke about being a dad to his kids with Zeta-Jones (25 years his junior), who were 10 and seven at the time. "I'm not driven like I once was," he said. "These days I am consumed with being a father and with my responsibilities as a husband. I never anticipated starting a family at my age. I'm genuinely happy to let Catherine work, while I stay at home with the children. I cherish this time."
He also acknowledged that he wasn't around as much for Cameron. "During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life. I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences," he said.
In another interview that same year, Douglas looked forward to the place where he finds himself now. "I wince when I think I'll be close to 75 when my daughter is 16," he told AARP Magazine. "I'm not going to be able to physically chase the boys away!"
He does have two actual grandchildren.
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While Douglas definitely wasn't at his granddaughter's high school graduation this May, he does have two grandchildren. Douglas' son Cameron has two kidds with his partner Viviane Thibes: a daughter, Lua, who is three years old, and a son named Ryder, who is six months.
When Cameron announced Ryder's arrival on Instagram in December 2020, Douglas commented on the post,"So happy for Vivian and you. Don't think Lua is sure about this yet! What a holiday present." Zeta-Jones wrote in her own comment, "Lua's face like ….'whatever….'" with a lot of crying-laughing emoji. "Hilarious! Congrats!"
RELATED: 27 Celebrity Couples With Huge Age Gaps.
Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextSee Catherine Zeta-Jones' Kids Now
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