The Oscar-winning film producer and actor Michael Douglas says he is “semi-retired” and intends to spend at least half the year at his home in Valldemossa, Mallorca. Although he is still open to new projects, he is clear that he will only choose those he is passionate about. Douglas, who will be 80 on September 25, is already a resident of Mallorca.
A few days ago, the actor enjoyed an early birthday celebration with the people of Valldemossa at the ‘gent gran’ festival, surrounded by regional dances and local food. On Sunday night at the Atlántida Film Festival in Palma, he was presented with the honorary award by Queen Letizia of Spain.
The actor told the media: “I want to get rid of the extra baggage I have accumulated over the years and enjoy my free time here. I’m going to be in Mallorca for six or seven months. It’s not a formal retirement, but I’m semi-retired,” he said. Such is his attachment to the Balearics that in 2003 he was appointed Mallorca’s cultural ambassador.
Douglas is still open to new projects, both on the big screen and for television, but not just anything, he wants something special that makes him want to work. That’s why he has warned his agents to only call him if the material is good. It was in 2023 that he decided to take a break that has already extended to more than half of 2024, where he spent much of his time on his Mallorca estate which, between 2014 and 2019, he tried to sell.
Then came the pandemic and he took the decision to take it off the market, as he found it the perfect place for the family with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their children. Given that he spends so much time on the island, during his talk with the press he was asked about the tourist overcrowding in certain areas of Spain, including Mallorca. Douglas said that “the problem is the proliferation of Airbnb flats in combination with rental cars, and that leads to problems such as water shortages.”