Kathleen Turner Still Called ‘Sexual Icon’ Despite Weight Change – She Kept Her Illness a Secret While Raising Her Baby

Kathleen Turner is a renowned actress who broke into fame with the film “Body Heat” in the 1980s. Her performance in the film made her one of Hollywood’s biggest leading ladies.

Turner is now 70 years old, and many things in her life have changed. Her career had its ups and downs, but she managed to bounce back after all these decades.

Another one of her successful films was “​​Romancing the Stone,” where Turner and Michael Douglas showed their great chemistry. The two never became a couple but maintained a 40-year friendship.

When shooting the film, Douglas was separated from his wife, Diandra, and Turner was also single. Both were aware of this, but the “Serial Mom” actress reckoned she would not have had the career she had if she became Mrs Douglas. As such, things never got that far.

Nonetheless, the actress knew that her break-out role in “Body Heat” made her a “sexual target.” She discovered that there were rumors of her having relations with Douglas, Jack Nicholson, and Warren Beatty, who were also leading actors at the time. But Turner clarified that she never got together with either of them.

Douglas and Turner reunited for a Netflix film produced by Douglas called “The Kominsky Method.” This time, the actors showed off their undeniable chemistry by playing a divorced couple with a turbulent relationship.

The “Wall Street” actor gushed over how much fun it was to work on the film with Turner. “It just is a comfort factor. Then you get to see it on screen and [realize], ‘Oh, this is really good.'” he expressed.

Turner also expressed that working with Douglas again was an easy decision.”They say it’s like slipping on an old shoe, which I assume means it’s one of your favorite things. And that’s how it feels,” she added.

Douglas and Turner have also co-starred in the films “The Jewel of the Nile” and “The War of the Roses,” and through the life changes of raising children and keeping up with their growing careers, their relationship has always been something they have valued.

Kathleen Turner Opens Up About Her Health Issues

Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1992, and the diagnosis affected her life in many ways. The actress confessed that she had a doctor tell her that she would most likely end up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

While the 70-year-old dealt with the excruciating pain and the fear of not walking, she felt that she had no choice but to keep her diagnosis a secret. However, since no one knew, she had to stomach people calling her drunk and making mean comments about her appearance.

The rheumatoid arthritis came when Turner was in her late 30’s and she admitted that it felt like a loss, especially since it was the last year that Hollywood would still see her as a leading lady that had it all.

But the loss also came from the limitations of the disease. It was most difficult that Turner could not be there for her daughter. “I could not pick up my child,” she recalled. She shares her daughter, Rachel Ann Weiss, with her ex-husband, Jay Weiss.

Turner also opened up about the neglect that she felt from studios. She made the comparison of actor Robert Downey Jr, who was known for his drinking problem but still landed roles, while she did not get hired for suffering a rare and uncontrollable disease.

The actress said there was not much information about the disease at the time she was diagnosed, so the only effective treatment she got was steroids.

The side effects of the medication and the unpredictability of her condition all contributed to the hit that her career took in the 90s. The actress confessed, “If I went to pick up a bottle, for example, I couldn’t grip it, and people would assume I was inebriated.”

Turner believed that producers still favored hiring someone with an alcohol problem because that was a situation that seemed more controllable than her rheumatoid arthritis.

Besides the assumptions of her alcohol abuse, Turner admitted that she did develop an unhealthy relationship with it at some point because it helped numb most of her pain.

Although the alcohol never affected her work, she would overindulge on her off days. Turner opted not to take some of her strong painkillers to avoid addiction and did not think she would develop an unhealthy pattern with alcohol.

However, alcohol is not a coping mechanism for Turner anymore. “Now it’s sharing a glass of wine at the end of a show or something — an occasional pleasure,” she added.

Regardless of the physical and general life changes that the actress has endured, her role in “Body Heat” has never been forgotten. Turner has gotten used to the attention she still receives from the film.

She reiterated, “It doesn’t frustrate me that nearly four decades after that film, I’m still referred to as a sexual icon. I got over that a long time ago.”

Still, she had to deal with the pressure of being seen as a sexual icon. Turner had to rediscover her confidence outside of her physical appearance and learn to love all the other parts of her present self.

The actress is now in her 70s, but when she entered 60s, she said it felt strange. It started with the shock of her mother realizing that she had a 60-year-old daughter, but the actress said she felt like she had gained more strength to expand her capabilities. So the shock turned into an excitement of discovering what more she could do.

Besides her career achievements, Turner is also a mother to a 36-year-old. Rachel has also grown up to become an entertainer.

She appeared in the film “Little Monsters” in 1989 but eventually became a musician. The singer has had the full support of her mother, who is never afraid to give her feedback on her performances.

Although Turner is not shy to give Rachel tips on improving her performances, she believes her daughter is extraordinarily talented and is proud of her dedication to her craft. Rachel also emphasized that she wanted her music to speak for itself rather than people liking it because of her looks.