Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner on Their 40-Year Friendship, Reuniting on 'The Kominsky Method'

"You protect and cherish when you've got a good relationship," Michael Douglas tells PEOPLE

Published on May 26, 2021 04:00 PM

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner emerged as one of Hollywood's most electric onscreen pairings when their 1984 action-adventure romp Romancing the Stone became a surprise hit. But it was their offscreen chemistry that endures nearly four decades later.

"We know each other so well," Douglas, 76, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue of his lasting bond with Turner, 66, with whom he costarred in two more hit films in the 1980s: The Jewel of the Nile and The War of the Roses.

"You protect and cherish when you've got a good relationship," the Oscar winner says.

For more from Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner's exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Over the years, the two stars stayed in touch as their careers continued to thrive and they raised families. (Turner has a daughter, Rachel Ann, 33, with ex-husband Jay Weiss, while Douglas has son Cameron, 42, from his first marriage, and Dylan, 20, and Carys, 18, with his wife of 20 years, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.)

Watch the full episode of People Features: Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner on PeopleTV.com or on the PeopleTV app.

Now, three decades since they last worked together, the duo are reuniting for the third and final season of Douglas' Netflix series, The Kominsky Method, in which they play a tempestuous divorced couple.

They didn't miss a beat.

"It was so much fun," says Douglas, who also executive produces the show, premiering Friday. "It just is a comfort factor. Then you get to see it on screen and [realize], 'Oh, this is really good.'"

"It was a no-brainer," says Turner of reteaming with her longtime buddy. "They say it's like slipping on an old shoe, which I assume means that it's one of your favorite things. And that's how it feels."

Season 3 of The Kominsky Method premieres Friday on Netflix.