Michael Douglas says he and Rob Reiner talked “a lot” about raising a child with substance use disorder before the death of the director and his wife Michelle Singer Reiner.

The Oscar-winning actor spoke about his friendship with the filmmaker in an interview for the News special “Rob Reiner: Scenes from a Life,” which aired Sunday, where he said he understood the weight of living with a loved one who uses drugs all too well.

“With this terrible tragedy, we realize how much pressure he was facing in his personal life with his son,” Douglas said of Reiner, whose son, Nick Reiner, was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbings of his parents.

Michael Douglas, right, here with his late friend, director Rob Reiner, left, in 2014, said the couple often talked about the pressure of raising a child with a substance use disorder in a CBS tribute that aired Sunday.
Michael Douglas, right, here with his late friend, director Rob Reiner, left, in 2014, said the couple often talked about the pressure of raising a child with a substance use disorder in a News tribute that aired Sunday.

Michael Loccisano via Getty Images

“I also had a son who had a drug problem,” he continued, referring to his oldest son, Cameron Douglas. “And I’m happy to say that he has overcome them and is living a prosperous life.”

The actor added: “But we talk a lot about that: what you can do as a parent, what you can’t do.” Douglas worked with Reiner on the 1995 film “The American President” and 2014’s “And So It Goes.”

The “Wall Street” star called Reiner’s ability to balance life’s responsibilities with his “behind-the-scenes” struggles a testament to his character, telling News, “This was a man who always gave you his best.”

Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder shortly after his sister, Romy Reiner, allegedly found their parents’ bodies in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles earlier this month.

The Hollywood veterans worked together on the 2014 film.
The Hollywood veterans worked together on the 2014 film “And So It Goes” and 1995’s “The American President,” photographed during production here.

Archive photos via Getty Images

Reiner’s experience with substance use served as the basis for the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which he co-wrote with his father. Following his parents’ deaths, a source with knowledge of Nick Reiner’s medical history told the Los Angeles Times that he had also been prescribed medication for schizophrenia.

Rob Reiner said his son was “in a good place” during an interview with NPR in September, telling the news network that Nick was in recovery and “hasn’t been doing drugs for over six years.”

Watch Douglas, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks and more pay tribute to Reiner in the News special, linked here.

Do you need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the US, call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.