I’ve been wondering for years, where the hell is Jack Nicholson?
Seriously. The man was practically everywhere throughout my childhood and adult life. Movies, award shows, sitting courtside at Lakers games with those trademark sunglasses and that unmistakable grin. Then, somewhere along the way, Jack vanished.
His last movie was How Do You Know back in 2010. Sixteen years ago! He’s made a few appearances since, including a surprise visit to Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special in 2025, but for the most part, the three-time Oscar winner has kept to himself.
Well, Michael Douglas recently gave us an update, and thankfully, it’s good news.
During an appearance in Wales promoting his memoir, One Helluva Ride, Douglas was asked about his old friend.
“He’s well. He has disappeared. I know that,” Douglas said.
He also confirmed that they still see each other, and apparently Jack spends some of his time wandering around near his house in his slippers.
I love that.
After six decades in Hollywood, countless memorable performances, three Oscars, and probably enough stories to fill another dozen books, I think the man has earned the right to wander around in his slippers without anyone bothering him.
What’s interesting is that Douglas and Nicholson go back more than 50 years. Douglas produced the 1975 masterpiece One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which earned Nicholson his first Best Actor Oscar. Yet despite their long friendship, the two never actually acted together in a movie. Douglas even admitted he wished they had.
I’ve seen nearly every Nicholson film, and I still have a hard time picking a favorite.
There’s Jack Torrance in The Shining, a performance that can still make you uncomfortable no matter how many times you’ve watched it. Then there’s his Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman. Good Lord, was he entertaining in that role. And who could forget Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men? Nicholson practically owns that courtroom scene.
I loved him in As Good as It Gets, The Departed, and yes, even Mars Attacks!
Especially Mars Attacks!
Watching Nicholson play both the President of the United States and a sleazy Las Vegas developer while Tim Burton unleashed a bunch of ridiculous, cackling Martians on humanity was exactly my kind of entertainment. That movie still cracks me up.
And then there’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
I’ve watched a lot of movies over the years, and Randle McMurphy remains one of my favorite performances by any actor. Nicholson could make you laugh, despise him, sympathize with him, and root for him, sometimes in the span of a few minutes.
That’s what made Jack so damn good. You never quite knew what you were going to get from him, but you certainly weren’t going to be bored.
He’s 89 now, and while I’d love to see him on screen one more time, I’m perfectly happy knowing he’s doing well and enjoying his life away from Hollywood. Especially in light of us losing the great Patrick Stewart last week.
Besides, between The Shining, Batman, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and the dozens of other films he’s made, I’ve got plenty of Jack Nicholson movies to revisit.
And if he wants to spend the rest of his days walking around in slippers, good for him.
Now I’m curious, what’s your favorite Jack Nicholson performance or movie?
I loved "About Schmidt."
Maybe not my favorite but "The Missouri Breaks" is often overlooked.
My favorite.... Easy: "The Last Detail". What a great Military story.... Regardless of the Branch, if you served and saw it, the memory has you laughing right now.