“He never fought it”: Jack Nicholson’s initial bemusement with one of his greatest-ever roles
The behind-the-scenes stories from the production of Chinatown are nearly as infamous as the film itself, with Faye Dunaway throwing a bucket of piss at Polanski, a switchblade being waved in Jack Nicholson’s face and countless creative disagreements about the ending of the film. And given the strenuous on-set dramas, it’s hardly surprising that the cast and crew didn’t expect the film to be that successful, perhaps just relived that the job was done. After the decision was made to cover his face in tape and bandages for the majority of the shoot, Nicholson did not expect the role of Jake Gittes to become a career-defining performance.
Chinatown is a breathtaking display of creativity from a regrettably talented filmmaker who was arguably at his best. It’s a darkly glittering ode to Los Angeles and the hidden peaks beneath the stillness of the famed desert, exposing the deceit and corruption beneath the glamorous facade. It’s both incredibly romantic and devastating in its nostalgic nod to film noir and old school Hollywood, establishing itself as a timeless classic, with its only downfall being the unfortunate person who made it.
After coming from the success of Five Easy Pieces, Nicholson was an up-and-coming actor who had the pick of the bunch but instead opted to work on a controversial project that was causing quite a stir among its collaborators, with the screenwriter Robert Towne turning down the job of adapting The Great Gatsby with Bob Evans to work on the film. When shooting began for the film, it would be easy to imagine that many actors would grow frustrated or impatient with the demands of the production, but Nicholson took it all in his stride.
Towne revealed that the decision to cover up Nicholson’s face during the shoot happened fairly early, and despite the inconvenience of this, Nicholson persevered, with the screenwriter saying, “If I remember correctly, Jack was amused and befuddled that his first leading man role would involve a surgical bandage and a scar. But no, he never fought it. He saw immediately that it was in service to the script and the character”.
Many actors would have been perturbed by this costume detail and the annoyance of starring in a project in which half your face is covered for most of the film, but Nicholson seemed to understand its importance, never questioning the vision of those at the helm.
Regardless of the problems that occurred on set and the many mistakes that were made, you can’t argue with the fact they had conviction in their ideas, always sticking to their beliefs about what was best for the project, even in the face of conflict. Perhaps it was this conviction that assured Nicholson that everything would work out for the best, reassured by their assertiveness and passion.
And so, even while everything appeared to be going up in flames, perhaps the only thing that helped Nicholson keep his cool was the fact that if people were heatedly arguing about the project, then those people must’ve really cared about it. Maybe it would be worth embracing the chaos.
