Michael Douglas despises Robert Mugabe

Legendary Hollywood actor Michael Douglas has revealed that the living person he despises the most is Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. The actor battling throat cancer was answering a variety of questions posed by Vanity Fair Magazine.

In the same interview Douglas reveals that his heroes in real life are Nelson Mandela and Ted Turner the founder of Cable News Network (CNN). His greatest fear personally is ‘health’ and globally ‘nuclear weapons.’

Asked what his idea of perfect happiness is Douglas said “You’ve got to believe in heaven for perfect happiness, but right now I will take warm seas, the same temperature as the air; the freshest seafood; giggles from my kids; and a Welsh chuckle.”

Michael Kirk Douglas has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975’s Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009. He is the eldest of actor Kirk Douglas’s four sons.

Below is the full interview with Vanity Fair Magazine

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

You’ve got to believe in heaven for perfect happiness, but right now I will take warm seas, the same temperature as the air; the freshest seafood; giggles from my kids; and a Welsh chuckle.

What is your greatest fear?

Personal: health. Globally: nuclear weapons.

Which living person do you most admire?

Any cancer survivor.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Jealousy.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Pretension.

What is your favorite journey?

The transition from the city to the country on hassle-free transportation.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Wine tasting.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

My nose.

Which living person do you most despise?

Robert Mugabe.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Really?”

What is your greatest regret?

Not knowing when to get out of a marriage.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

She’s putting on her makeup in the other room right now.

When and where were you happiest?

The 60s at the University of California at Santa Barbara weren’t bad.

Which talent would you most like to have?

To be able to speak publicly without needing a speech.

What is your current state of mind?

The joy of the family unit versus depression of the worst decade worldwide in my lifetime.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Have a better memory.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

Reduce the guilt.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Achieving a balance between career and family success.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

The seventh week of radiation after three chemo sessions, for starters.

What is your favorite occupation?

My existing gig is pretty hard to beat.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Revenge or devotion, depending on the situation.

What do you most value in your friends?

If I haven’t seen them in years and yet can pick up conversation like it was yesterday.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Nelson Mandela and Ted Turner.

What is it that you most dislike?

Bullies.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

An 800-year-old olive tree.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

A top classical musician or athlete.

How would you like to die?

Not being responsible for anyone else’s death and quietly.

What is your motto?

“Give it your best effort and then fuck it.”

Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair Magazine