THAT TONGUE

Michael Douglas once famously said to a newspaper that his throat cancer was due to his tongue’s explorations with his wife. The actor regre ed saying it, due to the embarassment that was brought on his pa ner and her family.

The truth is that the Devil is attractive. Give him a great wardrobe and clever things to say and he will succeed in seducing you. Unfortunately it shows how superficial people are. They only view the exterior, at how he looked and how he handled himself, and they think that’s who they want to be.

So is greed good?

I said it as Gordon Gekko. But no, I don’t personally believe that. That was part of that character’s mantra. And it probably remains a mantra to this day for many people on Wall Street. There are problems with greed, but, if that’s your choice, absolutely.

You could almost make the movie today. It would resonate with the current era.

Except fortune sizes have increased. There has been an escalation of money being invested into our political system over the last 30 years. This means the politician is not necessarily responsible to his constituency, but to the people who supported him financially. What you’re seeing now is the result of years and years of too much money being poured into politics. You’re not getting the best person for the job but the one with the strongest financial connections.

Do you think Gordon Gekko would have been friends with Donald Trump?

Sure. I’ve got to know Donald fairly well over the years, in New York. They would probably play golf together.

Let’s talk about Basic Instinct. There are no movies like that made any more. Why do you think that is?

I remember the social climate at that time. Back then, women were a bit fearful of playing villains. But these are the best, most textured parts and Sharon Stone did a great job. She was perfect.

Imitation is the greatest compliment and for Basic Instinct, many people tried to make films that copied it but whey weren’t necessarily executed as well.

We were under protest, though. Mainly because of a lesbian being a murderer in the movie. I thought it was a Trojan Horse, a wrong attack. But the gay community jumped on us. It was a different time.

And now to your most recent project. What a racted you to the show The Kominsky Method on Ne lix?

My agent sent me this script written by Chuck Lorre, whom I’m a huge fan of. I was always really impressed with his writing ability. I love Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory is something I’ve shared with my family over the years. So when he came to me with this idea he had for Netflix, a 30-minute comedy, I was infatuated. I don’t perceive comedy as my forte, but I love trying to do it. After all, we always appreciate our funny friends.

Is the dialogue quick, like in Chuck Lorre’s other shows that you mentioned?

It’s the same good writing. He writes wonderfully flawed characters whom everyone can identify with. He definitely has