Rob Reiner opens up to Michael Douglas about his troubled son Nick Reiner’s drug addiction before his “horrifying” murder.
While speaking on the CBS News special “Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Lifetime,” which aired Sunday night, the “Basic Instinct” actor recalled his bond with the director over his child’s drug problems.
Mr Douglas, whose 47-year-old son Cameron also struggles with addiction, said: “This terrible tragedy makes us realize the amount of pressure he was under in his personal life with his son.”
“I also had a son who had drug problems, and I’m happy to say he overcame them and is living a fulfilling life,” she added of Cameron.
The Fatal Attraction star said she and Rob talked “a lot” about raising a drug-addicted child.
“We talked a lot about that and what we could and couldn’t do as parents,” he recalled.
“He knew everything that was going on behind the scenes and he was a guy who always tried his best,” said Douglas, 81.
Michael, the son of the late “Spartacus” actor Kirk Douglas, also revealed that he and Douglas, the son of the late comedy actor Carl Reiner and an “All in the Family” alumnus, bonded over growing up with his famous father.
“Well, my experience watching him was that I could never be like my father. He can do anything,” he said.
“I mean, he was ‘Spartacus’…Once you get the same job, it’s staring you in the face,” Michael added.
“And in Rob’s case, are you as funny as his father? I think that created his tenacity, his strength. That’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough about Rob and his perseverance.”
As Page Six previously reported, Rob, 78, and his wife Michelle Reiner, 70, were found stabbed to death in their home in Brentwood, California, on December 14th.
Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with murder in his parents’ deaths.
The writer of “Being Charlie” struggled with drug addiction and had a history of violent outbursts.
Nick was also diagnosed with schizophrenia in the weeks leading up to his parents’ deaths, and the medication he was prescribed was said to have made him “unstable and dangerous.”
Due to the screenwriter’s diagnosis, TMZ reported that the screenwriter will likely claim insanity.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
