Michael Douglas says getting cancer was 'karmic revenge' for his success Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones. MICHAEL Douglas believes that throat cancer was "karmic retribution" for his successful career. The actor said "things had been going good for me for a long time," and he thought being diagnosed with the disease three years ago was meant to balance it out. The 68-year-old added that beating cancer had given him a "new rejuvenation." Douglas, who has won four Golden Globes and two Oscars over his 40-year career, said he now knows "what it is like to be down." He also spoke about how hard it was to see friends, including Dallas star Larry Hagman, succumb to the same kind of cancer. The actor said: "That's life. Things had been going good for me for a long time. I was ready for some karmic retribution. But he said beating the disease had in fact led to a renewed interest from producers. Douglas, who drank and smoked heavily for years, said: "In the past, on purpose, I've never known what movie I'm going to do next. I never knew how I would feel when I finished a picture. Now it feels great to be back at work. "Maybe that's the benefit of taking a break with cancer: Then, people say: "What happened to him? Please come back, Douglas said the intensive course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy left him so weak that he spent much of the time on the sofa, watching sports and TV shows - in particular anything where he "didn't know the ending." All he could eat was soup, and he lost 21kg. In the interview with New York magazine, the Wall Street star revealed his cancer was missed by two specialists before he went to a friend's doctor in Montreal. The doctor looked at the back of his throat and immediately said: "We need a biopsy." Douglas, the son of actor Kirk, is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, 43. Soon after Douglas's cancer battle it emerged that the actress suffered from bipolar disorder, and last month she was again admitted to a clinic for treatment. The couple have two children together, Carys, ten, and Dylan, 12. Douglas also has a 34-year-old son, Cameron. He is serving a jail sentence for drug offences.