Jack Nicholson’s least favourite thing about being an icon: “I hate it”
That are some actors that come across as being so effortless and fluid in their performance that it almost seems second nature to them; that this is not a performance, and they’re just trying on a repressed or different side of their personality for the day. When actors embody this level of authenticity in their work, it becomes easy for us to forget the person behind the role and sometimes, the level of vulnerability that it requires to portray a character so organically. And while we don’t see this side to many actors, it is nonetheless a present aspect of the creative process, with Jack Nicholson sharing his own complicated thought process around preparing for a role and embracing the chaos of filmmaking.
The reach of Nicholson’s career cannot be understated, with decades of performances that have changed cinematic history as we know it and cemented him as one of the greatest actors of all time. Through his chilling work in The Shining, to his dark and commanding monologue in A Few Good Men and the eternal humour of the chicken sandwich scene in Five Easy Pieces, there are characters in his filmography that appeal to everyone, with endlessly quotable lines that are reeled off with no warning whenever his films are mentioned.
While he is recognised for his seamless performances and seeming ability to instantaneously switch his characters on and off, he has also discussed the challenges of being praised for this very quality and the effect it has when he’s working on set.
Nicholson explained, “I hate it. I don’t want to be treated like the Medusa or the Lincoln Memorial. People have an idea of me which is not the reality. On set I’m an actor like every other actor. Most times, for every part I play, I can think of other actors who would be better”.
The iconicity of his roles means that it is impossible to imagine anyone other than Nicholson in the part, but he explained that while he is able to find the spark that creates his performances, there is always a steady stream of anxiety that initially feels too much to overcome.
“I worry from the moment I take a job. I worry about how I’m going to do it, if I can do it. I try to work out what I have to do on set and how I do that. I get extremely anxious. I panic. I can’t get it,” explains the star. Though it might be difficult for us to quantify with such an actor, it clearly plays on his mind: “It happens every time, and I get myself into this state, and then I walk on set, and the director says, ‘Roll’, and all of a sudden all of it disappears, and it’s all happening, and I relax, and I’m doing what I do, and I’m not even thinking about it. And I relax up until the moment they yell ‘Cut’”.
The core of being an actor relies on opening up and baring your soul, and Nicholsons anxieties show that he is just the same as anyone else; that vulnerability is scary no matter how good you might be at faking it, and even the greats suffer from stage fright every now and then.
