The role Jack Nicholson took “more seriously than anyone else in the world”
There are few actors in the world who boast cultural and artistic importance quite like Jack Nicholson. A true legend of the acting profession, Nicholson has delivered countless unrivalled efforts on-screen for more than six decades, carving out a legacy that will continue to ring through the ages.
The list of movies with Nicholson’s name attached to them that have arrived as signifiers of the cinematic medium at its highest quality is seemingly endless, but some of his most memorable efforts include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and The Shining, just to name but a few.
Having given so many iconic performances throughout his career, it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the most important parts of Nicholson’s overall cultural impression. However, there was one moment where the actor delivered a very different take on the superhero villain.
In delivering his version of the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman, opposite Michael Keaton in the titular role, Nicholson reinvented what it was to be a comic book adaptation antagonist and undoubtedly inspired the future portrayals of the iconic character from the likes of Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix.
Nicholson had once explained that he had been somewhat “afraid” of taking on the character of the Joker because he was aware of the Batman television series and understood that any film adaptation was likely going to “brighten it up for the kids”, thereby losing the actual fearsome nature of the character.
However, when Nicholson took on the role and started making Batman, he realised that Burton’s film was going to serve as a “very strong transitional movie” for the superhero movie genre. “It gave it all this ‘Oh, this is not just another cartoon movie,’” the legendary actor pointed out.
What followed was Nicholson taking the “performance more seriously than probably anyone in the world”. While the likes of Ledger and Phoenix have certainly given some truly remarkable efforts as the Joker, it’s fair to say that Nicholson largely rebirthed the character and accurately portrayed him in a chaotic and undoubtedly darkened light.
Nicholson had previously gained “early experience working for an audience full of children”, so he knew what kind of characteristics to imbue his version of the Joker with. “The more you scare them, the more they like it,” he said. “The worse you are, the better. That was my response to the Joker.”
The actor proceeded to call his character “a hateful occurrence” but one that “literally every kid loves.” Nicholson himself clearly loved the Batman villain as a child, and even the character’s name stuck out for him with all its humorous qualities despite his evil nature. “It’s just fantastic,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether Nicholson truly took the role “more seriously” than anyone else, though, as it’s widely considered that Heath Ledger gave the best ever effort as the Joker. Ledger had once admitted to being inspired by Nicholson’s performance when it came time for him to play the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but he hadn’t wanted to just copy him.
“I’m obviously not going for the same thing he went for,” Ledger had said. “That would just be stupid.” Indeed, it was wise for Ledger to create his own version of the character, especially considering how seriously Nicholson took his.
