Jack Nicholson's filmography spans more than five decades, so his absence from Hollywood
has been felt by audiences. Although he has never officially announced his retirement
from the film industry, the actor has not appeared on the big screen since 2010. Here's
why you rarely hear about Jack Nicholson anymore.
The romantic comedy "How Do You Know" hit screens in 2010. The movie was full of big
names, including Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, and Reese Witherspoon. But the
movie was a failure both critically and commercially, making just over a third of its $120 million
budget back and receiving generally negative reviews. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times placed
"How Do You Know" among the most expensive box office flops ever. Veteran film critic
Roger Ebert published a review of the film with the title "Jack made a dull boy," playing
on Nicholson's iconic line in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining."
Nicholson made a name for himself in classic movies that were both commercial and critical
triumphs, including "Easy Rider" and "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." As his multi-decade
career went on, Nicholson took on several lackluster roles, including, "The Bucket List"
and "Anger Management." Once "How Do You Know" became one of the biggest failures of his
career, it's possible that Nicholson decided to stop tainting his own legacy by agreeing
to mediocre film roles.
"It's hard not to yell."
Despite some less fortunate film choices, Jack Nicholson has starred in a few late-career
triumphs, including 2006's "The Departed," 1997's "As Good As It Gets," and 2002's "About
Schmidt." But he has also passed over some quality roles that other veteran actors ended
up taking on with notable success. Following the success of "About Schmidt," the movie's
director, Alexander Payne, offered Nicholson the lead role in his 2013 movie "Nebraska,"
according to Film Stories. For whatever reason, Nicholson turned the role down and it eventually
went to Bruce Dern, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Nicholson also reportedly had a role in developing the movie "St. Vincent" with writer-director
Theodore Melfi. He was rumored to star in the lead role, which ultimately went to Bill
Murray, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Actor, Musical or Comedy
category.
It's unclear why Nicholson turned down these strong roles, especially as they could have
helped him recover from the misfiring that was "How Do You Know." The decision most likely
had less to do with the roles themselves and more to do with Nicholson's general lack of
desire to act anymore.
In February 2017, Variety reported that Jack Nicholson would star in the English-language
adaptation of the 2016 German film "Toni Erdmann." The original movie followed a dad trying to
reconnect with his daughter. Coincidentally, Bill Murray had also been interested in the
lead role.
When news of the movie broke, Kristen Wiig was set to star in the role of Nicholson's
character's daughter. Paramount Pictures held the remake rights, with Will Ferrell, Adam
McKay, and Wiig among its producers. It was later announced that Lena Dunham was also
attached to the project, according to The Film Stage.
Alas, 18 months after the remake was announced, Nicholson had dropped the role for unknown
reasons. Ferrell, McKay, and Wiig remained attached to the movie, while Dunham had also
jumped ship. According to IMDb, the "Toni Erdmann" remake remains "in development" as
of 2021, but it doesn't look as though Nicholson will be rejoining the cast anytime soon.
In a 2013 interview with The Sun, Jack Nicholson admitted some of the allure of Hollywood had
worn off with age, as he revealed,
"I'm not going to work until the day I die, that's not why I started this [...] I mean,
I'm not driven. I was driven — but I'm not, I don't have to be out there anymore. In fact,
there's part of me that never really liked being out there. I learned how to function
within ‘out there.’"
The icon continued,
"Then you get older, you change. I mean, I'm not a loner, I'm not a recluse, but I don't
need all that anymore. I don't enjoy it, simple as that."
Nicholson added that taking on new roles is often a source of stress for him, saying
"Most times I can think of other actors who would be better in the part [...] I worry
from the moment I take a job, I worry about how I'm going to do it if I can do it."
He went on to discuss his thoughts on the changing movie landscape, revealing,
"The movie business is the greatest business but I only want to do films that move people,
films about emotions and people [...] I had the most chilling thought that maybe people
in their twenties and thirties don't actually want to be moved any more. They may want just
to see more bombs, more explosions, because that is what they have grown up with. And
I'll never do that type of movie."
At the height of his career, Jack Nicholson had a reputation for being a playboy. He dated
famous women, including Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and Papas, supermodel Janice
Dickinson, and actors Lara Flynn Boyle and Anjelica Huston. In 2013, he told The Sun
that his priorities had changed, explaining,
"I'm still wild at heart but I've hit bio-gravity [...] I can't hit on women in public anymore.
I didn't decide this, it just doesn't feel right at my age [...] If men are honest, everything
they do and everywhere they went was for a chance to see women. A lot of me being an
actor was about that, and about me."
Today, Nicholson is a homebody, spending most of his time at his house on Mulholland Drive
in Los Angeles. The actor told The Sun,
"There's only a certain amount of times a woman wants to see you and never go out for
dinner [...] I got tired of arguing with women about going to have dinners so I hired a cook.
The food is better at my house. But still, a lot of times ladies want to go out, and
I'm happier in my dinky little house."
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