Michael Douglas says he and Rob Reiner talked to each other “a lot” about parenting a child with substance use disorder prior to the director’s and his wife Michelle Singer Reiner’s deaths.
The Oscar-winning actor opened up about his friendship with the filmmaker in an interview for the CBS News special “Rob Reiner: Scenes from a Life,” which aired Sunday, where he said he understood the weight of living with a loved one who uses drugs all too well.
“With this terrible tragedy, we’re realizing how much pressure he was dealing with in his personal life with his son,” Douglas said of Reiner, whose son, Nick Reinerwas arrested in connection with the fatal stabbings of his parents.
Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
“I also had a son who had drug issues,” he continued, referring to his eldest child, Cameron Douglas. “And I’m happy to say he’s overcome them and he’s living a prosperous life.”
The actor added, “But we talked a lot about that: What you can do as a parent, what you can’t do.” Douglas worked with Reiner on the 1995 film “The American President” as well as 2014’s “And So It Goes.”
The “Wall Street” star called Reiner’s ability to balance life’s responsibilities with his struggles “behind the scenes” a testament to his character, telling CBS, “This was a man who always gave you his his best.”
Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder shortly after his sister, Romy Reiner, reportedly found their parents’ bodies at their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood earlier this month.
Archive Photos via Getty Images
Reiner’s experience with substance use served as the foundation for the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which he co-wrote with his father. Following his parents’ death, a source with insight into Nick Reiner’s medical history told the Los Angeles Times he had also been prescribed medication for schizophrenia.
Rob Reiner said his son was “in a good place” during a September interview with NPR, telling the news network Nick was in recovery and “hasn’t been doing drugs for over six years.”
Watch Douglas, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks and more pay tribute to Reiner in CBS’ special, linked here.
Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.
