Michael Douglas made an appearance at the premiere of Wall St. 2: Money Never Sleeps last night. There was speculation as to whether he would be able to make it, as he’s been open about the fact that he’s currently undergoing treatment for stage four throat cancer. He came, although some outlets claim that he’s having trouble speaking and barely spoke to reporters. His voice was weak just one week into his chemotherapy, when he went on Letterman, and he said at that time that the chemo and radiation burned his mouth and that he couldn’t take solids. Still, he spoke a little at the press conference ahead of the premiere, according to People, and talked about what he’s been going through.

“I’m in the middle of my program, and it’s going along fine,” Douglas, 65, told PEOPLE at a press conference for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on Sunday. “I’m very optimistic and hopeful right now.”

He added: “My family has been very supportive. There’s not a lot that anybody can do. You’ve just got to kind of do the program. But it’s the world you [learn to] understand about cancer. You get to know cancer survivors, and the kind of support and outpouring I’ve been getting has just been amazing.”

Despite his intensive course of radiation and chemotherapy to treat a tumor in his throat, Douglas said he has “a lot of things to be grateful for.”

Among those things is his work. The new Wall Street film opens this Friday, and Douglas said he’s “looking for a great opening night.” He also credited costar Shia LaBeouf for being the heart and soul of the movie.

“He carries the movie,” Douglas says. “I had to do that before, and I know the responsibility, but Shia carries every scene. It’s a tremendous responsibility for anybody.”

[From People]

It’s clear that there’s a lot of love between Douglas and his young co-star, Shia Labeouf. Shia also heaped praise on Douglas ahead of the premiere. He called him a “wolf” and a “strong man” in an interview with the Associated Press, adding “all I know of his vulnerabilities is that when he first came to set he had just gone through knee surgery, his kid just went into the drum… he was dealing with a lot, never was it ‘woe is me,’ never. I think he’s one of the strongest American actors we have… my mom’s still’s got a crush on him. I feel like I have a little crush on him. Everybody’s got a crush on him.”

Douglas had an extensive interview in Parade magazine recently and I really admire the stance he’s taken toward cancer and life in general. He said that he went public with his diagnosis because “Millions of families are going through the same thing my family and I are now going through. If I can bring any relief or encouragement to those suffering, that’s the good news.” As for his own health battle, he says he’s remaining positive and is planning for a full recovery. “I’m in good spirits. I’m an optimistic guy… Nothing has deterred me from my belief that I am going to beat this.” We’re rooting for you Michael!

Photo credit: WENN.com