Michael Douglas Says Oral Sex Caused his Throat Cancer

HBO Films is producing a Liberace biopic with Douglas and Matt Damon set to star. Steven Soderbergh is directing a script by Richard LaGravenese.

The "Behind the Candelabra" actor also remarks about the disease, "If you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it."

Michael Douglas has given a candid interview sharing his thoughts about the causes and cures of his throat cancer.

When a reporter for U.K.'s The Guardian newspaper asked the Behind the Candelabra star if he attributed his cancer to drinking and smoking throughout his life, Douglas pointed to a different reason.

"No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus," he told the newspaper.

STORY: TV Ratings: HBO's 'Behind the Candelabra' Premieres to Strong 2.4 Million Viewers

"I did worry if the stress caused by my son's incarceration didn't help trigger it. But yeah, it's a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer. And if you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it," Douglas said.

Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer in 2010 and subsequently underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He has since announced a recovery from the disease. The actor told The Guardian that with his type of cancer, he believes that "95 percent of the time it doesn't come back."

Behind the Candelabra, in which Douglas portrays Liberace, debuted to strong ratings during its recent HBO premiere.

The actor told The Hollywood Reporter at the Cannes Film Festival in May that the Steven Soderbergh-directed project arrived at the right time for him during recovery.

"For this to come along, when you're wondering if you have a career -- you've had this big hiatus; you don't know what repercussions cancer has for being hired. It was something so much to look forward to," he explained about the film to THR.