Michael Douglas admits he initially didn’t think Glenn Close was right for ‘Fatal Attraction’

“I fought against it and was very cross as I didn’t see her as a psychopath," he said

Michael Douglas has revealed that he and the filmmakers behind Fatal Attraction initially did not believe Glenn Close was the right actress to play Alex Forrest in the 1987 psychological thriller.

The actors reunited on The Graham Norton Show on October 30, where they looked back on the making of the iconic film and recalled how Close eventually won the role despite the initial doubts surrounding her casting.

Douglas, 82, explained that the production team had initially moved on from considering Close for the part, despite the actress already having received three Academy Award nominations.

“Everybody thought that Glenn was not right for the part, and so we moved on,” Douglas recalled.

However, Close's agent insisted that the actress wanted to audition for the role. Douglas said the team initially felt they could not ask someone with her established career to audition, but Close was determined to prove herself.

“She came in, and I ask anyone to see this tape, and she blew us away. We have never been so wrong in our lives,” he said.

Douglas added that the filmmakers were left feeling like “total idiots” after watching her audition, describing Close as being “in total command”.

Close ultimately played Alex Forrest opposite Douglas's Dan Gallagher, a married man whose affair with Alex spirals into a dangerous obsession. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

The pair also discussed the film's controversial ending, which was changed following test screenings.

Close revealed that the original version ended with Alex slitting her throat, leaving Dan to be arrested for her death. However, American test audiences disliked the ending and wanted Alex to die.

“It really was very film noir,” Close said, explaining that audiences were angry and wanted her character dead.

The actress said she was asked to reshoot the ending six months later, but initially opposed the decision because she did not see Alex as a psychopath.

“I fought against it and was very cross as I didn’t see her as a psychopath. But they wore me down and Alex became the most hated woman in America,” she recalled.

The theatrical version ultimately featured Anne Archer's character, Beth, shooting Alex after she attacks her family.

The reunion comes as Douglas promotes his memoir, One Helluva Ride, while Close prepares for the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, in which she plays Drusilla. The actress is also set to receive an honorary Academy Award at the Governors Awards on November 15.