He says his cancer diagnosis has brought him closer to his 93-year-old father, Kirk Douglas. The two had a strained relationship for many years, but "he really made an effort" after the diagnosis, Douglas says.

"He was back here almost 10 days. He came over every day. He was great." Douglas says that when he was growing up, his father was angry and often absent. Douglas also reflects on his recent difficulties with ex-wife Diandra Douglas, whose bid to claim half of his earnings from «Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps» was dismissed in a New York court earlier this month.

He is optimistic about his recovery, and while the disease "certainly has put a little perspective on mortality," it has also "shown me what family is," Douglas says. "It showed me a love that I never knew really existed."