Michael Douglas: “I’m Ashamed of My Country and I Apologize”

During the inauguration of his master class at the Taormina Film Festival (Italy), Michael Douglas stated on Tuesday that he is “ashamed” of the United States and apologized for the “global chaos” created under Donald Trump’s presidency. “I understand that much of the responsibility for global chaos comes from my country. I am ashamed of my country and I apologize. I apologize to my neighbors in Canada and Mexico, and also to the countries of the European Union and NATO,” said the 80-year-old actor in front of students and film professionals.

Douglas, a two-time Oscar winner and four-time Golden Globe recipient, received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Taormina at the ancient Roman theater of the city. Throughout his career, he has combined his artistic side with public commitment: since 1998 he has acted as a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations and collaborates with the Nuclear Threat Initiative, promoting international campaigns for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

In his master class, the actor criticized the constant increase in military budgets, especially in the United States, and expressed his astonishment at the persistence of armed conflicts in this era of artificial intelligence: “It’s ridiculous that, with all the technology we have, we continue to witness so many wars.”

At 80 years old — born at the end of World War II — Douglas stated that he has never witnessed such a tumultuous period as the current one. He urged replacing military investments with initiatives for dialogue and international cooperation, and appealed to diplomacy as the only way to prevent the mistakes of the past from repeating.