Michael Douglas Was 'Surprised' by How 'Few People' Checked in About His Cancer Diagnosis: 'They Don't Know What to Say'

Michael Douglas learned a difficult lesson about friendship after being diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer in 2010.

The Oscar-winning actor, 82, opened up about the isolation he experienced during his cancer battle in a new interview, published October 3, ahead of the release of his memoir, One Helluva Ride.

“There's something about cancer, it makes people not want to be near you,” Douglas said.

“I was surprised by how few people checked in. They don't know what to say," he added.

Douglas was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer, after doctors discovered a tumor at the base of his tongue.

“I wondered if my luck had run out,” he writes in his memoir.

The Wall Street star was eventually declared in remission in January 2011, but the experience left a lasting impression on him.

Screenwriter Shane Salerno was one of the people who regularly reached out to Douglas while he was sick.

The two had met in the early 2000s, and Salerno used humor to remind the actor of the doubts he had overcome throughout his career.

“I tried to remind Michael that every time someone had told him he couldn't do something he had proven them wrong,” Salerno told the outlet.

The screen veteran said the 53-year-old's messages meant more than he may have realized at the time.

“I was really touched. It meant a lot,” he said.

The experience also changed Douglas' perspective on what mattered most.

“I started realizing how important family really is,” he said, adding, “This is what holds us together.”

Douglas shares son Cameron with his ex-wife, Diandra Luker, and son Dylan and daughter Carys with wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

He also looked back at the effect his demanding career had on his first marriage.

“I do not believe that you can balance career with family. You just can't balance it,” he said.

He went on to say, “So I'm always saying to my kids or anybody else that will listen – get your career out of the way before you think about marrying and having kids.”

“That affected my first marriage, because I was consumed,” he added.

After years of working in Hollywood, Douglas said he is now comfortable taking a step back from acting.

“I've been working my a-- off for 55 years,” he said of his career.

He described his memoir as “sort of a culmination” and called it a “reflection of my times. A reflection of what was going on.”

While the Basic Instinct star has not formally retired, he's enjoying a different pace of life.

“It's the third chapter, third act,” he previously said, adding, “I'm exploring other things without any great responsibility. I'm quite happy.”

“I'm thankful for my health, for my beautiful wife and my children,” he continued.

“I'm very grateful to have the family around me that I have," he concluded.