{"id":71996,"date":"2025-05-03T20:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T20:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/71996\/"},"modified":"2025-05-03T20:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T20:01:09","slug":"jack-nicholson-doesnt-like-to-be-seen-much-in-public-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/71996\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Nicholson ‘doesn’t like to be seen much in public now’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I drove down the narrow private lane leading to Jack Nicholson\u2019s storied lair <\/a>high atop Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills 23 years ago, I was more nervous about logistics than meeting the legend himself.<\/p>\n

The story was slated for the cover of the New York Times\u2019 Arts & Leisure section<\/a>, and I knew I needed at least an hour or two to get a decent interview. But publicists for such big stars \u2014 and often the stars themselves \u2014 can be capricious and often cut you off and kick you out after half an hour or less.<\/p>\n

I had reason to worry.<\/p>\n

Jack Nicholson and lookalike son Ray Nicholson, now 33, who\u2019s also an actor, at an LA Lakers game in 2023. Getty Images<\/p>\n

At that time in 2002, Nicholson, a three-time Oscar winner, was 65. <\/p>\n

But he was still near the peak of his powers and had the scandalous reputation \u2014 not to mention the many high-profile romances, with everyone from Michelle Phillips to Anjelica Huston to Lara Flynn Boyle \u2014 to go along with it.<\/p>\n

During his lengthy heyday, Nicholson made headlines for smashing a stranger\u2019s car windshield <\/a>with a golf club in a fit of road rage. (He later apologized and settled out of court.)<\/p>\n

In 2000, he was sued by a prostitute<\/a> who claimed he beat her badly after he hired her and a friend to come to his Mulholland Drive home for sex.<\/p>\n

That era feels far away now, looking at photos of Nicholson, 88, shuffling outside the Carlyle Hotel with a cane in February. <\/p>\n

Or when he was seen leaning on assistants for help walking, he made a rare public appearance<\/a> on this year\u2019s 50th anniversary special of \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholson holds up his Best Actor Oscar for \u201cOne Flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest\u201d in 1976. Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t like to be seen much in public now,\u201d an industry insider with ties to \u201cSNL\u201d told The Post. \u201cI saw him at the Carlyle, and he was a little wobbly. Part of his appeal in the past was his extravagant character and lifestyle. But that all catches up with you after a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Jack and his inner circle prefer that you remember him as he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I met him, Nicholson was considered one of the godfathers of Hollywood \u2014\u00a0holding court, literally, for decades at his beloved LA Lakers games.<\/p>\n

Nicholson made a rare public appearance at the \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d 50th anniversary special in February. The actor introduced his longtime friend, Adam Sandler. Yes \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n

He has been one of the biggest movie stars of his era, but also an eccentric, scene-stealing character actor with a resume of unforgettable roles in films such as \u201cEasy Rider,\u201d \u201cChinatown,\u201d \u201cOne Flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest,\u201d \u201cThe Shining,\u201d \u201cTerms of Endearment,\u201d \u201cBatman,\u201d A Few Good Men,\u201d \u201cSomething\u2019s Gotta Give,\u201d \u201cAbout Schmidt\u201d and \u201cThe Departed\u201d \u2014 to name, truly, just a few.<\/p>\n

Nicholson \u2014\u00a0who was born in Neptune City, NJ, and famously didn\u2019t learn until he was 20 that his showgirl sister was actually his mother \u2014\u00a0hasn\u2019t made a movie since the limp 2010 rom-com \u201cHow Do You Know,\u201d directed by James Brooks and co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been called a \u201crecluse\u201d in recent years. But even way back in 2002, he told me that he preferred to have dinners at home with friends because if he went out in public, he had to act \u201clike the mayor\u201d at any restaurant.<\/p>\n

Nicholson with his daughter, Lorraine, now 35, at a Lakers game in 2013. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The temperamental womanizing Nicholson of legend was nowhere in evidence when I pulled up outside the fairly modest (by Hollywood superstar standards) home in a cul-de-sac he shared with then-neighbor and close friend Marlon Brando. Warren Beatty was also a neighbor. Nicholson called his address \u201cBad Boy Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, he had lived there for 30 years. He still does today.<\/p>\n

I was greeted at his front door by a housekeeper who left me seated in a smallish living room with walls covered in priceless masterpieces by Picasso, Bonnard, Dufy, Magritte, and Bacon.<\/p>\n

Nicholson\u2019s breakthrough role was in 1969\u2019s counterculture classic \u201cEasy Rider\u201d with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. AP<\/p>\n

Nicholson starred opposite Faye Dunaway as J.J. Gittes in 1974\u2019s \u201cChinatown.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Jack turned up, his hair was askew, and he wore a loud yellow-and-blue-striped shirt and khaki pants along with orthopedic-looking shoes.<\/p>\n

He almost never gave print interviews, he said, because he had no control over what was written, and preferred doing TV, where his words couldn\u2019t be taken out of context.<\/p>\n

As he sat down in an armchair, I asked how much time I could have with him.<\/p>\n

Nicholson was romantically involved with actress Anjelica Huston for 17 years, the longest relationship of his life. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Nicholson and actress Lara Flynn Boyle, whom he also dated, at a Lakers game in 2001. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cTake all the time you want,\u201d he said, and he meant it.<\/p>\n

Three hours later, he was still talking about art, acting, politics, books, and everything under the sun \u2014when Adam Sandler showed up and went into another room to wait until we were done.<\/p>\n

I was most struck by his admission \u2014\u00a0one that seemed sincere \u2014 that he still gets nervous and anxious the day before starting work on a new film.<\/p>\n

Nicholson starred opposite Diane Keaton in \u201cSomething\u2019s Gotta Give.\u201d \u00a9Columbia Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

In fact, he told me he was so worried about not giving a good performance while making 1997\u2019s \u201cAs Good As it Gets,\u201d that he asked director James Brooks, a close friend, if he wanted him to step down and give the part to another actor. (Nicholson ended up winning his third Oscar, his second for Best Actor, for the role of a grumpy novelist involved with Helen Hunt.)<\/p>\n

When we spoke, Nicholson was working with Sandler on the 2003 film \u201cAnger Management,\u201d and the two have had a lasting friendship,\u00a0which is why Nicholson was at the \u201cSNL\u201d anniversary show, where he introduced Sandler.<\/p>\n

At the time, Nicholson was dating Lara Flynn Boyle, who was then 32, and I remember seeing her framed photo in a guest bathroom. Though he was well-known as one of Hollywood\u2019s biggest flirts and then some \u2014 former girlfriend Anjelica Huston once called him a \u201cworld-class philanderer\u201d \u2014\u00a0the actor was nothing but a gentleman with me.<\/p>\n

One of Nicholson\u2019s most iconic roles was as eccentric-turned-homicidal novelist Jack Torrance in the 1980s film \u201cThe Shining.\u201d \u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

I remembered the generosity, warmth, and professionalism of the Nicholson I met when I read last month how he had reached out to Huston<\/a> after she fled her home during January\u2019s devastating LA wildfires. She said he offered his home if she needed a place to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe phone just rang out of nowhere, and it was him,\u201d Huston said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a comfort when he calls \u2026 It was heartbreakingly sweet,\u201d she went on. \u201cI\u2019ve gone back over it several times in my head, and I think next time I\u2019d accept the invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Lorraine and Ray at the premiere of \u201cSomething\u2019s Gotta Give\u201d in 2003. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Huston was the longest relationship of Nicholson\u2019s life. She has publicly admitted that she knew he was unfaithful but stayed anyway. They were together for 17 years \u2014 until 1990, when Nicholson fathered a child with actress Rebecca Broussard.<\/p>\n

Nicholson, who was married just once, to actress Sandra Knight in 1962, has a total of six children with five different women (but none with Huston).<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved him,\u201d Huston told The Guardian <\/a>in February. \u201cI think in the world that I was living in, [his cheating] wasn\u2019t disrespectful. It was how he was, and it wasn\u2019t so personal. I think as soon as I clocked that, it was alright, I knew how to protect myself. It didn\u2019t make me happy, but I knew what I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast to his love life, Nicholson\u2019s career has been consistent, strategic, and mostly drama-free.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019ll be seen as this generation\u2019s Humphrey Bogart, but, for my money, he was much more canny about his career than Bogart,\u201d Patrick McGilligan, author of \u201cJack\u2019s Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson<\/a>,\u201d told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went out of his way to work with some of the greatest filmmakers of our era \u2026 while, at the same time, doing excellent commercial films. He doesn\u2019t embody the American dream\u00a0of success onscreen. His characters represent all the flaws and foibles of the American dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliot Mintz, an author and longtime publicist to everyone from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Paris Hilton, first met Nicholson 50 years ago and has known him both personally and professionally since.<\/p>\n

Nicholson played the Irish crime boss Frank Costello opposite Matt Damon in 2006\u2019s \u201cThe Departed.\u201d \u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all my years out here, I can\u2019t think of anyone else currently alive who understands the\u00a0layout of the Hollywood fame game like Jack,\u201d Mintz, the author of last year\u2019s \u201cWe All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me<\/a>,\u201d told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I don\u2019t think he saw himself through the same kind of lens other people saw him. He\u2019s a magnanimous host and has no airs or pretenses of any kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mintz said he invited him out to an event recently that he thought the star would enjoy, but Nicholson politely declined.<\/p>\n

Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton\u2019s \u201cBatman\u201d in 1989. \u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our public conversations, he described himself as a \u2018singular\u2019 being and lamented his inability to maintain the kind of relationships most of us regard as sacred,\u201d Mintz recalled of some interviews he did with Nicholson when he hosted a radio show in LA.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been quoted that he will probably live out his years without the experience of a loving relationship. I certainly don\u2019t know if he has someone today, but I think he shares his time primarily with the only person who will not disappoint him \u2014\u00a0those are the moments that unfold with himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack is the real deal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I drove down the narrow private lane leading to Jack Nicholson\u2019s storied lair high atop Mulholland Drive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3940],"tags":[35935,4938,4080,77,498,4936,35936,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-71996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-adam-sandler","9":"tag-anjelica-huston","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hollywood","13":"tag-jack-nicholson","14":"tag-lara-flynn-boyle","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114445686080649914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}