Academy Award-winning director James L. Brooks hints at Jack Nicholson‘s acting return. Nicholson’s last movie was the 2010 romantic comedy How Do You Know. He and Brooks are longtime friends and collaborators, having worked together on Terms of Endearment (1983), Broadcast News (1987), As Good as It Gets (1997), and How Do You Know.
When asked about whether Nicholson would act again, Brooks shared with People that “I don’t think he’s stopped. I mean, he’s gotten scripts, he’s reading them, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing them.” While talking about his new movie, Ella McCay, Brooks also referred to Nicholson as “the greatest actor of the generation.”
Jack Nicholson’s performances have led to three Academy Award wins for the actor, two of which for movies directed by Brooks. He won Best Actor for As Good as It Gets and Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment. His other win was for Miloš Forman’s 1975 adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
James L. Brooks won three Academy Awards for Terms of Endearment, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
While Nicholson is not officially attached to any upcoming projects, the fact that he is still reading new scripts is a promising sign that the 88-year-old actor will return. It would presumably have to be a compelling enough script to warrant a return to the screen after a 15-year hiatus.
That being said, this is not the first time in recent years that Brooks has spoken about Nicholson’s potential comeback. He told People in 2023 that “I keep on thinking he’s going to get itchy and scratch it” and that he does not think How Do You Know will be Nicholson’s final movie.
As for how Nicholson came to star in Terms of Endearment, Brooks reflected on how Debra Winger brought the script to Nicholson and got him to be in the movie with her and Shirley MacLaine. Brooks also spoke about what makes Nicholson a special actor to work with:
I didn’t have a second choice. I didn’t because the guy has to have license from an audience when he walks on, and he was the only [one]. I was a fledgling [director], and I had to get the greatest guy going or not make the movie.
He’s great to work with. I once asked him — I just think it was one of the best things to say to other actors. I asked him, “What do you do if you’re in a scene and the other actor isn’t particularly talented?” And he said, “No, no. Whatever the other actor does is perfect.” And that is not only a gorgeous answer, it’s severely true.
Brooks confirms that he and Nicholson do “keep in touch” and that the actor is doing well, including the fact that he has been impressed by the paintings Nicholson has been doing.
Beyond One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the numerous films he has done with Brooks, some of Jack Nicholson’s most well-known movies include Five Easy Pieces (1970), Chinatown (1974), The Shining (1980), Batman (1989), A Few Good Men (1992), and The Departed (2006).
With a 23% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews for Ella McCay have not been favorable, especially when compared to the earlier movies in Brooks’ career starring Jack Nicholson. The cast of Brooks’ new movie features Emma Mackey, Woody Harrelson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, and Rebecca Hall.
Headshot Of Jack Nicholson In The 2007 MTV Movie Awards
Birthdate
April 22, 1937
Birthplace
Neptune City, New Jersey, USA
Height
5 feet 10 inches
Professions
Actor, Filmmaker, Writer