John Malkovich has publicly acknowledged an affair with Michelle Pfeiffer during the making of the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons, saying the relationship spilled into their private lives and contributed to the end of both their marriages.
The 71-year-old actor spoke about the episode on the Fashion Neurosis podcast, describing a bond that began as professional and intensified. "It's not something I've ever really talked about," he said, adding that in his work "you make emotional bonds with people very quickly. That's part of the work." He called Pfeiffer "someone I valued greatly as a colleague," and said he had not always been "incredibly fair."
Malkovich said the relationship went beyond collegiality, noting, "I've learned over the course of my life that a great colleague is actually rarer than anything." He framed the liaison as a misstep with personal consequences, saying it had "ended both our marriages." Malkovich was married to actress Glenne Headly from 1982 to 1988; Headly died in 2017.
In Dangerous Liaisons, Malkovich played the amoral Vicomte de Valmont and Pfeiffer portrayed the virtuous Madame de Tourvel. Critics and audiences lauded the film and the pair's on-screen chemistry, a dynamic Malkovich said later spilled into real life. The film has remained a touchstone of late 1980s cinema and has drawn recurring interest for both its artistry and the behind-the-scenes relationships among its cast.
Malkovich's comments mark a rare public discussion of a chapter that has been the subject of tabloid coverage and fan curiosity for decades. On the podcast he emphasized the professional context in which close emotional bonds can form quickly and acknowledged responsibility for how the off-screen relationship affected others.
The actor did not elaborate on details about Pfeiffer's personal life following the affair during the interview. His remarks focused on the emotional dynamics of working relationships and the personal cost when those relationships move beyond friendship or professional collaboration.
Malkovich's account adds a first-person perspective to a long-noted period in both actors' careers and contributes to the public record of how intimate relationships among co-stars can affect personal lives. He framed his recollection as part of a broader reflection on the nature of close creative partnerships and the consequences that can follow when they cross into the private sphere.